Finishing "I Am" Poems on Santa Cruz Island

The students finished their "I Am" poems that were started on the first expedition in Sequoia National Park. Here are just a few of them.

Breaking the Cycle
by Engels Garcia

I am an ant
I advance without knowing
what obstacles are surrounding me.
I feel incompetent
cannot express my ideas
cannot communicate.

Challenging to get along
with people who have
a different way of life,
those who only care about themselves,
wish they could be more conscious.

But from far away
the fresh wind gives breath
sharing life inside of me,
giving me energy to soar
above my obstacles.

With blistered hands
I work hard to survive,
I sweat step by step,
just like a slave
working in the grape fields
endless, eternal rows
of dusty green grapes.

If my life ends
it is not because the Age,
it is the fight against
my Predators,
the destiny
trying to get out of the
cycle of slavery.

I am soul,
a ghost,
unfortunately I can’t survive
in this world

With pain
my work stings
without any progress,
I can’t find my colony,
my home.

I am victim
to my predators
who, without consciousness,
are killing
me
and my hopes to find
inner peace.

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Open Your Eyes
by Kenia Lopez

Meadows that used to be lakes
remind me of the past,
memories that used to be wet.
I am a high summer sierra peak,
tears now dry.
The sunlight wakes me up
every morning,
and the night
covers me as a warm dark blanket.

The beauty of the sunsets
make me look like a Shooting Star,
A gigantic Sequoia pine tree,
strong, always alive.
A quiet butterfly,
shyness hugging me.

Horrible moments,
as black storms spread over my ridges,
flood my rivers,
my madness
hailing on my sisters,
sinful problems:
cold, black robes.

Magnificent as a high mountain,
strong, peaceful blowing winds;
calm as clouds;
and quiet as a rock.
Fresh, crystalline water against my skin,
free movements, dancing gently
gives me life.

My parents,
white glaciers,
enormous protectors,
educated me, supported me,
warned me, formed me!

My delicious landscapes,
the fragile and delicate
mountain Bluebell flower,
leaves like porcelain,
but strong enough to say, “I love you.”

The winter dresses me
with white freezing dresses.
Summer dresses me
with green pines and white firs.
Life is dressed beautifully
as long as you open your eyes.

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Legacy Carved in Stone
by Juan Hernandez

I am a Glacier
Bound by no laws,
No Rules,
Free to see the world,
Strong & True.

I am a Glacier,
Seen no more,
But still here
A ghost,
Watching the world go by,
Washing the stain of blood shed past,
The blood and memories of those who
fought and died for us:
My world, my rivers, my land, the earth
beneath me.

Transformed by time,
Melted away in the world,
All you see:
Oceans,
Streams,
Rivers,
Plants,
Everywhere and anywhere you see.

But I have been forgotten by the world,
By the lies that surround me,
and by the lies I have created,
Lost in time,
and lost to the World.

Gentle at times,
Happy and smiling,
Always changing,
My thoughts, my mind & my emotions,
Always growing in size and in shape
transformed,
Getting stronger in mind and spirit,
Always learning,
About myself and the world that surrounds me,
Wanting to change the world,
waiting to give shape to this world of
disappointments and regrets,
In anyway that I can,

Shedding my emotions to the world
every drop of rain,
Showing my worth,
Letting people see who I am,
My good,
My peculiar enthusiasm,
My bad,
My serious nature,
My flaws,
My beliefs,
My HEART,

Those who choose to believe in me,
The mountains and rivers who choose
To love and care for me,
To teach me…right from wrong,
to hold me…when I get fearful
or terrified,
And those who choose to bring me down,
Will only make me stronger,
For I am a Glacier, powerful & majestic,
I move with the might and the strength
of my family behind me and no one will
stop me.

I am a Glacier,
Looking toward the future,
Making my own path…and leaving my
legacy carved in stone,
Seeing the world for what it is,
Cold & hard,
But at the same time…inspiring,

The world is changing,
Always,
Never stopping,
And never will,
But I will leave my mark on this world
and into the next,

My words,
Stained with my Truths and the Fears of
this world,
Echoed in the wind.