Created for girls ages 10–14 to encourage and inspire each other as they write the feature articles.
I Am
Volume 2: Issue 2 By Sagal, age 12, CA I am Sagal I am polite and kind I wonder about my future I hear a horse cry I see New York I want to have a good life I am polite and kind I pretend I am a princess I feel a great place above me I touch the summer grass I worry about my future I am polite and kind Hi Sagal, I am Sami We are practically sisters We are practically family A little older but I am reflection of you. When I was younger I too used to worry about the future. But I stopped worrying and started focusing on the present. You sound very pleasant....
Press Play
Volume 2: Issue 2 By Addison, age 12, MA I feel like our life is on pause. Like donating without any cause. Or singing a sad, sad song. Or running a track miles and miles long. I try to keep the feelings inside my head. And just try to get some sleep and go to bed. I wake up every day feeling good. Just like any day I would Then I realize life is on pause. Addison, This poem says what so many of us have felt during the long year of Covid-19 restrictions. We're all waiting for the life we knew to resume, and to go back to everything we loved doing before. I love how the poem...
Somali Muslim Black
Volume 2: Issue 2 By Ikran, age 12, CA Smile Original Myself Amazing Loyal Intelligent Muslims are nice Ultimate Strong Leadership Inspiring Motivation Be kind Love and never hate Accept everyone, no...
You Never Know
Volume 2: Issue 2 By Amina, age 13, CA Each morning, I wake up and eat breakfast Then I feel the wind and the beautiful sun rising. Then I go on Zoom, where my amazing teachers teach me something new everyday I like...
The Color of Skin
Volume 2: Issue 2 By Khadija, age 11, CA The color of skin does not define anyoneMelanin is a gift and people are ashamed People disgrace Black features like lips,and end up paying for them If frizzy/curly hair...
Be Kind and Love Yourself
Volume 2: Issue 2 By: Suad, age 12, CA Be kind Never give up Love one another Keep on trying Don't let people judge who you are Keep on working hard Don't let them bully you You can do anything if you work hard Some...
Open a Book
Volume 2: Issue 2 By: Salma, age 11, CA Open a book And you will find People can be kind. Open a book And you can be Anything you want to be. Open your eyes And you will see Red lights and sidewalks. Look around...
The Fantabulous Tale of a Real-Life Secret Agent-Part 2
Volume 2: Issue 2 By: Skylar, age 16, VA Mia was in her bedroom, pondering what had occurred. Just a few minutes before, she had overheard two men plotting to rob B.A.R.F. during the gala tonight. She wasn't sure what to do...
Who Gave Them Permission…
Volume 2: Issue 2 By: Selma, age 11, CA Who gave them permission to look down on someone just because the color of their skin is different? Why is it that Black people get treated differently than a white people? We...
Pieces of Me
Volume 2: Issue 2 By: Maryama, age 12, CA The life of a Black person is full of fear. Fear that they will die young, fear that they will never be able to succeed. The reason they have that fear is because of all...
Why?
Volume 2: Issue 2 By: Sydney, age 14, NC Why can’t I stand up and say, This is wrong Because the rest of the world is blind to the fact That it isn’t right. The problems that they have created in this world Call to them But...
Many of the poems in this issue of GirlStory come from one particular school in San Diego, California. Jaime Morgan (pictured) is a teacher who advocated for her students, many of them from immigrant or refugee families, to get their poetry published. We loved partnering with Iftin Charter School (ICS) for this issue, a school founded to provide students with a caring centered education (T-K8) that involves members of students’ families and communities as partners in the circle of education, both inside and outside of the classrooms. In addition, ICS accepts that every person has something to contribute to society as a whole as well as to the task at hand.
Thank you, Jaime, for believing in the power of poetry and, for that matter, the power of words! Your students made our issue better!
