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Pain. Suffering. Loneliness.

People are dying. There’s not enough food for everyone.

In America, if a piece of food drops to the ground, the reaction is, “Eew.” In Africa, you pick it up and eat it.

Life is hard in Africa. Life is hard in Burma. Thailand. Nepal.

Life is hard in America.

Life is not fair.

These are the words of a group of local refugee teens. Many of them came to the U.S. from refugee camps. Some of them have lived in Greensboro for as long as five years; others, less than a month.

Between field trips to the pool, the movies and local landmarks, the teens also met at Guilford College to learn how to express themselves through poetry.

As a group, they act like typical teenagers. They pick on each other. They watch hip-hop music videos on YouTube. They laugh and talk in a mixture of their native languages and English. They are loud.

But their words, though not communicated in perfect English, indicate layers of sorrow most American teens have never experienced.

Some of them had to flee from gunfire and the ruthless brutality of rebel soldiers.

Some of them can recall seeing people dying around them.
Some of them know their fathers only through pictures.

They have been so hungry they were grateful for any bite of food they could scavenge.

They have faced the transition of moving to a new country so different from their own with a mixture of fear and hope.

Hope for freedom, a better life, peace and an education.

They find hope here. But they also find that some of their peers dislike them because they are from a different country. It is hard to make friends, especially when you struggle to learn English. And the money they thought that would come so easily in America is hard to earn when you don’t speak perfect English and don’t own a car.

They also worry about friends and family in their own countries. There is an element of guilt. Why are they the ones having a better life in America, while friends and family are still suffering back home?

Their words are powerful.

Here is a sampling of some of their poetry.

* * * * * * *

I Had to Leave

I had to leave

my mom it was pain

like I never felt

But all I could think was

she is taking a shower and she can't

get out of this and if she is killed, she's all

I have. I was in school when the

war started and she was taking a

shower and me and brother were in school and it felt like the whole

world was blackened and I was the

only one

Love hurts

Love hurts like

pain in your back and you can't get up

How it hurts and how tough (for) people.

-- Sophie Toe, 14, Ivory Coast

* * * * * * *

Run Away

Guns shoot, people losing legs

running away for freedom. dogs are

barking looking for people. and

people are running because of

fear.

Please God, help us. We don't know

where to go. Help us. People are dying

like a little kid that don't have nothing

to eat. God please help us. It don't matter

if you're black or white. Why can't we

be friends? Cuz a black man once

told us to be friends.

Thank you God for this day

all because of Martin Luther King

This place is better.

-- Amina Robert, 12, Liberia

* * * * * * *

I don't understand, why people

care about being white or black

I don't understand, people when they

gossip about me behind my back

I don't understand why people

talk about me

I don't understand why peace

is so hard to find

I don't understand why there is

no "peace of mind"

I don't understand why people (are) so

mean

I don't understand why people hurt

other people

I don't understand why my family talk

about me

I don't understand why they don't

see what I see

I don't understand why the world

is full of hate

I don't understand

I don't understand why people

make me sad

I don't understand why people

talk about love

I don't understand why people

talk about me

I don't understand why my friend talks

about me

I don't understand

why?

-- Claudine Mukoma, 12, Congo

* * * * * * *

New Life

My life in my country was so hard.

It is hard like a rock.

My life in my country

was so bad for me.

What you need, you don't have,

What you want to do, you cannot do.

I came to America to have

freedom, because I don't have freedom

in my country.

The most important

thing I need is freedom

-- Eh Hsa, 12, Thailand

* * * * * * *

What Is Life?

4 a long time

ever since I was a little kid

I asked myself what is life?

Is it gold, silver or money?

this can't be it. So I asked

again what else is life?

Now that I have grown I realized

it can be gold or sand,

because life turn up and down

we need to learn more about life

before we can understand

So I let it stand

Just a few months living in

the U.S.A.

a homeless person reminded me of how

it used to be

Back in Nigeria I was customized to see

my brothers and sisters living in

the streets

Then I asked myself how can I let

this be, how can anyone let this be?

Now I can see life is

money, but what is money

if we don't care about our people?

So you got to share

Spread the love and

you will gain eternal life.

-- Bariduanen (Bari) Oodee,  17, Nigeria

* * * * * * *

I Don't Understand

Sometimes I sit and think to

myself, why was there war?

Why was people killing each other?

and why was people treated differently

because of their skin color?

I don't understand. I don't really

understand. But the most thing

I don't understand is why are

some people enjoying and some

suffer, but even though we are

all going through the same

thing, I don't understand

Sometime, I look around me

and wonder, why are bad things

happen(ing)? Why is people threatening

each other even though we are all

the same human beings? fighting, cursing,

being racist. I don't understand,

I want to understand.

-- Patience Hayes, 12, Liberia

* * * * * * *

Little Heart

My heart is very soft

Sometimes I think about something in my heart

It makes me cry

I want to make a good friend

but I can't find and see

sometime I stay alone and I feel in my

heart alone. No friend, nobody

It makes me sad

It is not a good thing

My heart is always tearing and crying

I put God first in my life

God can help me

So I keep my heart strong

I will make a new life and good life

I will keep my history all of a good thing

This is about little heart and future for

a new life

-- Paw Gray, 19, Thailand

* * * * * * *

Africans, I Don't Understand

I don't understand why people make fun of

Africans

I don't understand why some people say Africans

are dirty

I don't understand why kids in school always

got to laugh at some girls that (are) African

Because they say they are African

I don't understand why people (say) Africans

stink even though they don't stink

I don't understand why some kids in school

always tell Africans to go back to their

country.

I say I don't understand I want this

to be all over.

-- Patience Hayes, 12, Liberia

* * * * * * *

It's Me

They call me black

but that's where it's at

They laugh at me

but I'm strong as a tree

They say I'm thick

but look at my twist

Sometimes I cry

but God is on my side

You can't stop me because

I'm a strong black woman.

-- Sophie Toe, 14, Ivory Coast

* * * * * * *

Locked

I saw things that I don't know

and now it's stuck in me

And I feel locked that I can't express it

I'm locked from the pain and sorrow

I'm locked from the death of my father

At the age of 4 or 5

I'm locked from his drinkingness and

smoking that killed him

I'm locked from the pains I went

through but can't explain

But I'm locked but now I'm

ready to let it out and let it

go.

-- Cynthia Mapely, 13, Liberia

* * * * * * *

Emotions Buried

One day when I was home I didn't have

nobody to play with I was sitting there...

bored and that day was my friend's

birthday party and my mom told me not to

go to the party I was so mad and bored

-- Ruth Kpaeyeh, 16, Liberia

* * * * * * *

Sometime, I forget to say hi

Sometime, I even miss to reply

Sometime, my message doesn't

reach you. But it doesn't mean

that I forget you

-- Kamala Timsina, Bhutan

* * * * * * *

New Life

When I first came to America,

I was sad because I didn't

have friends and couldn't

speak English well.

Sometimes I feel isolated in

my new life, and many times wanted

to cry

New life is difficult to understand,

But the least I can do is try.

-- Say Paw, 15, Thailand

* * * * * * *

You think I'm sweet because I'm

always smiling. Well let me tell you what I

feel inside and what I am. I'm mean. I'm

terrible. I'm disrespectful. I'm rude to people.

Is that sweet? No I don't think so. I walk

away when someone (is) talking to me and

I'm also rolling my eyes. I am so hateful

to people even though I care, I act like I don't.

Let's just say I'm lonely.

-- Dwonee Zulu, 14, Liberia