Writer’s Fest at Granville Island (Secondary)

Tim ChanTimes News

The Grade 11’s and 12’s took a  field trip recently to hear three diverse and powerful spoken word artists speak on an array of topics, from being rejected, to being adopted, to being estranged from one’s father for being gay. “Word!”, as the show was titled, was a great exposure to the power of poetry and the usefulness of wordplay to express oneself. Below are a few creative responses to this memorable day.

The Poetry Slam

“I enjoyed it.”

“It was awesome.”

My words ring true, and yet,

There’s a part of me that feels upset: Like a small dinghy on the open ocean,

Like a child trampled in a vast commotion. While my words ring true, their words ring truer. So much worse are the things they’ve had to endure:

From family rejection, To racial projection,

These are people who’ve been hurt, People trying to assert,

That they are worthy, they are strong, they are accepted,

They are loved. And here I am.

Trying to say, “That’s me too”,

Say that my hurts and pains are valid and true. I should feel empowered, but all I feel is guilt. Because it seems, on their suffering my comfort has been built.

It was the people of my race saying, “Go!” It was the people of my faith saying, “No!” I can’t change to whom I was born;

I can’t change that I’ve seen little scorn.

But the past is behind and the future is ahead, I look toward it with a mix of hope and dread. Hope that I’ll be able to change the narrative; Dread that I’ll never see it as imperative.

“The poems were amazing.” “I had a great time.”

My words ring true, and yet,

When faced with my own privilege, there’s a part of me that feels upset.

By Amy F., English 12

Oct 21, 2018