• What are some of the things that we can do to help those that have been impacted by a current or previous conflict?
o Being able to communicate comfort, reassurance, and love in any form to others: family, friends, and others within our community is of huge importance during a time of panic and uncertainty. This can include messaging and video chatting people on a regular basis, volunteering for those who are most in need, and leaving messages around the community in the form of rocks, chalk, and window signs.

• Our displayed poems and how
o “Sidewalk Chalk” a poem I had written with intention to write it on the pavement outside of my complex, near the mailboxes so that my neighbors and anyone passing by could read the message. I wanted a childish feel to it, so I chose to write it on the sidewalk. This poem was about the innocence children have that should inspire us during hard times.

I wish I could put this on the sidewalk
But the pavement’s wet
Tears roll down your cheek
Is this over yet?
Nurses dread saying “honey I’m home”
The mountain keeps getting higher
Every step we take; we’re getting tired
And all we have now is sidewalk chalk
Flowers and rainbows and smiley faces
Blues like water, greens like spring
When was the last time we saw this?
Society soothing itself with a child’s plaything
Let us live like them, the curious toddlers
Take that look in their eyes, stir it with our tea
Let it fill us with warmth; push us forward
The look of hope we all desperately need
Let’s use the sidewalk chalk

• “Superhero” I had written this poem for my mother and her coworkers. I had shared it with them through a visual poem. I wanted a sense of admiration to come from this.

I like your superhero costume
Sky blue is flattering on you
Your mask and gloves match perfectly
Thank you for being there for me
No matter how hard this battle is,
We’ll win this; I’m sure of it!
Stay strong, we send you love
Please don’t give up
You’re my superheroes

• “The Creation of Adam” I created a visual video to go along with my poem. I demonstrated a recreation of the famous painting of the two hands, and how it mirrored the distance Adam; or mankind, felt between themselves and God and how many of us feel the same distance. This poem is melancholy but hopeful, bouncing back and forth between harsh reality and patience for what lies ahead.

Reach
Just a little more
Soft peach fuzz rests atop your knuckle, connecting to your thumb
I yearn for each print of your finger
But in each other’s presence, we cannot linger
Our eyes connect but our bodies must part
Souls must touch in a different way
We are hindered; withered
Who has torn us apart?
Such a gap between us it’s like Earth and Heaven
But it feels like Hell
It matters not who took the forbidden fruit
For we are all punished
It matters not the distance we forge
It’s never enough
But it matters not; this pain, the distance, the wait
Our parting is but impermanent
All will be well
And our hands will meet
Healing is fate

• What is the message you’re trying to get across?
o The reason for my poems is not to sugar-coat reality as it is and simply write about hoping for a better future, I wanted to include elements of truth within them to feel grounded, but I also wanted to create a sense of uplifting as well. These poems were made with the intention of simple existing, humbly and quietly. I didn’t want to overjoy the reader with big, boastful words of encouragement but I didn’t want to wash them over with sadness, I wanted the mood of these poems to be in the middle. It is difficult to keep listening to constant positivity, even if encouragement is what we need. It feels as if sometimes we are just trying to cover up our fear and uncertainty. I wanted to embrace that uncertainty and let the reader accept it gracefully, and use it as their motivation, instead of blind faith. All throughout my poems, I have interpreted innocence in a different way; I wanted to capture the hilarious and almost mind-shattering truths children speak, without them even knowing it. Many references throughout the poems such as the “sky blue superhero costume” and “flowers, rainbows, and smiley faces” are attempting to capture innocence through a child’s eyes, which can be interpreted by older individuals much differently. I wanted to remind people of how it felt to be a child again; even when those children experiences sadness, they see it in a different regard. These three poems were meant to symbolize the maturing of a person. “Superhero” was meant to represent a child’s perspective, while “Sidewalk Chalk” mirrors someone who has aged out of their innocence. “The Creation of Adam” was as if the person had regained hope, and a child-like spark once again, by accepting the world but sees the positive anyway.

• What did you do to try to persuade the audience to agree with your position?
o I believe the reason why they feel more realistic is because the many emotions I had mixed into all the poems. There is a constant hint of sadness, but other emotions like reminiscing, slight happiness, and peace have also been woven in.