Artists Space

Art and Literacy: Poetry

Spanning eleven weeks of writing sessions, ever-shifting social conditions, and ten poetry exercises across twelve weeks, the eighth-grade poets of P.S. 140 along with Teaching Artist Mathew Bussa and Literary Arts staff John Vircillo forged expansive pathways for expression, understanding, and exploration. We read the work of Nate Marshall, viewed the poetry performance of Ariana Brown, and listened to imagery of Nina Simon. Immersing ourselves in their vivid sculpting of environment–“dusty thrift stores,” or “the restaurants with no chairs /just a window, a bulletproof sneeze guard,” we learned how the simple description of place facilitates a more empathetic encounter. At the conclusion of the eleven weeks students presented their work to their peers in the auditorium at P.S. 140 in an event called YAP: Young Artists Perform.

– Matthew Bussa, Teaching Artist

YAP: Young Artists Perform, 2025
Poetry Class: Writing As Flow, 2024
Trip to Artists Space to see Renee Gladman exhibition, 2023
Trip to Artists Space to see Renee Gladman exhibition, 2023
Six sticky notes with black text on a white background. From the top left corner: "We want our voices to be heard, our pleads to be answered, our rights to be fully secured." is written on a yellow sticky note; "we want to be free" is written on a yellow sticky note; "we want to make this earth better," is written on a pink sticky note; "We want the earth to be clean," is written on a yellow sticky note; "we want everyone to be treated the same," is written on a blue sticky note; and "We want to relax," is written on a green sticky note.
“We want” Jamboard prompt for 8th grade students, 2021 [Six sticky notes with black text on a white background. From the top left corner: "We want our voices to be heard, our pleads to be answered, our rights to be fully secured." is written on a yellow sticky note; "we want to be free" is written on a yellow sticky note; "we want to make this earth better," is written on a pink sticky note; "We want the earth to be clean," is written on a yellow sticky note; "we want everyone to be treated the same," is written on a blue sticky note; and "We want to relax," is written on a green sticky note.]
A hand holds up a lined notebook with a poem collaged from newspaper cutouts which says, "This is not normal what
Orchidary Siahaya, headline poem, 2019 [A hand holds up a lined notebook with a poem collaged from newspaper cutouts which says, "This is not normal what's at stake life,/ our lives death most people run/ to a sadness disbelief/ and play bloody/ fire."]
A monkey
Camilo, headline poem, 2019 [A monkey's head is pasted above a drawing of a suit with other pencil markings throughout the image on lined notebook paper. Below the figure is a collaged phrase from newspaper clippings that says "Monkey goes to Harvard."]
Eight people sit in a row on a wooden stage in front of a navy blue curtain. They are holding pieces of paper, one speaks into a microphone.
P.S. 140 students performing at YAP (Young Artists Perform), 2019 [Eight people sit in a row on a wooden stage in front of a navy blue curtain. They are holding pieces of paper, one speaks into a microphone.]

I love New York

I love New York for its
diversity
Why so many homeless people
Maybe because Everything
is too expensive

I’ve learned don’t talk to strangers

When I hear “New York” I think of food
Pizza and spaghetti with tomato sauce

Don’t trust no one
Everyone lies
He lies, she lies.
Girl you lie. All the time. So do I.

I saw pigeons
I think they’re spying
on me
I heard a garbage truck
I covered my nose
I should have covered
my ears
When I say “New York” I mean: the projects the hood

Kaniyah

Blackheart

You haven’t experienced real love for it to hurt you.
My heart is as hard as an obsidian rock in a cave
My heart is like an iceberg
Everyday I think about how fragile my heart is

Love is unconditional and fulfilled life
My heart is like the earth 12PM - 12AM
12PM is light and sunshine 12AM is too filled with darkness
I dream of a heart filled with Love, trust, and loyalty
How could a heart filled with love be ruined with a simple mistake.
Like
My black heart

Amor

My heart is as soft as a white silky
feather. So weak and weightless
but when water falls on a feather, the feather
Becomes heavy. Just like my heart
The struggle to stay in the air
Floating peacefully without distractions
The quality that I
Lack, Peace.

Rosa

Love

My heart is as strong as a rock is safe and still
Everyday I love to play soccer
Love is something I cannot let go
My heart is like a foam of sea
My heart is as stable as an oil rig
Every day I wake up I can’t clear your
smiling face out of my head.
When I am next to you I cannot stop looking at you.
But still I focus on my future career
even though I still love you I have to
let you go.

Abdul

Greed is natural for humans.
but that isn’t an excuse.
They treat it like an instinct.

Money leads you nowhere

Greed leads you nowhere.
These people cannot be happy
being a slave doesn’t contain
Joy. Some chase and dread
but never get there,

You were saved from
a fate where every greedy individual
Implodes under pressure

M.

NYC

I hate NYC but,
At the same time i like it
I like traveling to new places
I like trying new things like
activities, food, exploring new places
and i love how people travel from
all over the country to come to
NYC, but i hate NYC too. I hate when I have to see
People screaming to themselves
Like if an engine going off.

L.P

To My Mom

Shout out to my mom
for being there for me since day 1
I know I might give
You a hard time sometimes but just know
I love you very much
And I never want you to
Think that i don’t love
You, and I never want to see
You cry it kills me.
And I want to see a joyful smile on your face
Just like bright colors of flowers

Damian

IDK

My heart is as broken as a glass vase when it falls from a tall height.
And my heart is as joyful as being with my friends.
And if you are about to find the right person, your heart won’t ever break.
And sometimes there is one person that I feel like the happiest person in the world.

Davian

Mi corazon es tan duro como un bloque de hierro pero paras las personas a que quiero es blardo
Mi corazon es tan suave como un algodor para las personas que amo
Todos las dias yo pienso que por que hay tanta broga aqui
El amor es como un carro primero funciona y después se dana
Mi corazones como un hierro

Willinyes

Love Poem

My heart is as melty as ice cream slowly dripping off the cone on a hot sunny day.
My heart is as delicate as taking a Jenga block- carefully avoiding the tower falling.
Everyday I have many thoughts at home and school about chocolate.
Love is many things you can feel it see it in a lot of things.
My heart is like a mix of different feelings and they all have different reasons for being in my heart.

Evelyn

Love is like a Sunrise

My heart is as peaceful as the sound of the peaceful rain, the little droplets fallin’ down the window

My heart is as exhausted as a dog being tired from running all day
Everyday i hide my heart so it doesn’t break like glass

Love is like a sunrise it is bright and joyful

My heart is as delicate as a sea shell
I dream of how my heart feels so loved when I’m with my friends
I remember how I feel as relaxed as the wind
That goes through the grass, when i’m loved

My heart is as safe as the planes that
go through the sky.

Catherin

Poison in my Brain

My heart is as loving as a mother cooking mac and cheese
My heart is as loud as a firecracker on the fourth of July
My heart is scared to love like
a mouse is scared of cats
But I can’t help to love you like
How I love myself. Everytime I see
You my Heart acts before my
Brain. You were the only one there
for me. When I’m with you it’s
like I have poison in my brain.
But we have to leave each other
Because even though I love you

Serenity

Every day I wake up its a new day
I’m in the hood
wearing Gucci
shades. Walking by
my neighbors on the new
block. I don’t know but today
Seems kinda odd. No barking
From the dogs no songs. Everyday
I make it home I thank
God. Now we in the future
2025 why it feels like
I skipped time.
All the new lights and
All the cars. I don’t know
But technology getting
Far. I’m walking down
the block in the
new city not gonna to lie everything
seem pretty. Not gonna lie it might be
a good city.

Omar