On Friday, October 7 two of our students that participated in the Find Your Voice writing program were honored for a special accomplishment at the 916 Ink Imaginarium. Maribella Smith and Lydia Robles are published writers and their poems were chosen by the Sacramento Poetry Center to appear inside Sacramento Regional Transit buses around the city!

This year 916 Ink worked with the Sacramento Poetry Center to bring students’ poems to the local RT system. Over 40 poems were submitted for review and six were chosen. The art will be displayed through January.

“This program inspires our students and helps them find a creative outlet to express themselves,” said Jody Graf, Executive Director at Visions In Education. “Students leave the class with a tangible accomplishment and skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”

Fox40 News also came out to celebrate with us! Take a look at the clip here.

Lydia Robles’ winning poem

Harmonize

Can you hear my voice?
Will you listen to my sound?
It’s weak, and it’s pale,
When no one else is around.

It’s tremulous, and strained.
It’s raw, and all mine.
Because each voice needs another
To sound truly divine.

You sing your own song,
So sweet and unique.
And I’ll sing my own.
And maybe one day they’ll meet.

And we’ll sing the same notes.
And we’ll speak the same words.
And rejoice that our voices,
Have finally been heard.

Maribella Smith’s winning poem

One & Only

In the rain, soft and as gentle as mist
My moon comforts me burning my fears with her light

I sit under a peach tree
She tells me stories
I sing her songs
We are beautiful

We are happy we are one.