Brenda's Child

Poetry was has been my therapy, so I choose to share it with young people through workshops. Do you have a youth group you'd like to expose to poetry? I'm available for bookings through my email. .Please see my appearances page for more details.

We used poetry by Tupac Shakur as inspiration to write poems about  crying.

Here is Tupac's poem:

I Cry

Sometimes when I’m alone

I Cry

 ‘Cause I’m on my own

The tears I cry are bitter and warm

 They flow with life, but take no form

I cry because my heart is torn.

I find it difficult to carry on.

If I had an ear to confide in,

I would cry among my treasured friend

 But who do you know  that stops that long,

To help another carry on

The world moves fast and it would rather pass by

Then to stop and see what makes one cry

 So painful and sad

And sometimes…

I cry

 And no one cares why

Here's what one young man wrote in response to "I Cry":

Sometimes I cry when I’m alone

I cry

 When I cry I look up to the sky

 And ask God why

 Tears filled with stress

 Tears hittin’ my shirt like bullets hittin’ a chest

When the tears fall

Nobody catches

 Except for the napkin

When I cry, I ask myself,

Why is this happenin’?

 Pain wrapped around me like a bracelet

Chest is filled with so much hatred

 I cry tears

 I let it fall down

 My body,

all the way to my toes

My smile shines like a pot of gold

But my attitude is nasty, like mold

When I cry

I let my tears flow

Pain rips up my flesh

Now tryin’ to take down my soul

Pain runs like a track star

Beeps like a horn

When I cry

Nobody hears me

When I’m aggressive

They are scared of me

I shed invisible blood

I need a real hug

 When I cry,

I cry alone

Voice filled with low tones

 But I ask why

So I’m gonna end this with

Sometimes when I’m alone I cry

                                -Lavonta

Here are the poems created by youth, using some of Tupac's lines:

I cry

Sometimes I’m all alone,

I cry

Sometimes I cry

'cause of happiness

And sometimes I just cry

'cause I wanna die

Sometimes I cry

For reasons people would love to know

 I cry when I’m depressed

 And can’t hold it anymore

I cry

And ask God why

Should I live a lie?

Tomorrow’s never promised

People fight

 To get respect

 At times

Parents ask

What’s wrong?

You begin to deny

Lies, threats, and secrets

 That are just kept inside

Getting beat at night

 In the morning

Teachers call home

 Grandma begins and continue to lie

 That’s why I cry

 And ‘til this day

I still live

 And that’s why I cry

Bruises and black eyes

Knowing my past

 Will still be in my mind

I began to cry

 Sometimes I cry

Because I’m scared of life

Scared of myself

 At times I cry

Because there’s no point to life

Sometimes even having people hold you

Isn’t enough

 That’s why I cry

                -Gigglez

I cry…

Sometimes I cry when I’m alone

I cry

Because of the fact that

My love ones are going, one by one

I can’t help to know that

Another one might go

So much pain and sadness

Sometimes when I’m alone

I cry

                                -Natasha M.

I cry

Because he doesn’t understand

I cry

Because he thinks I want to be a friend

 But I want more

 I cry

 Because he doesn’t want me

I cry

Because he doesn’t care

When I cry in front of him

He doesn’t understand

 So I cry

                                -Cindy G.

Thank you, Tupac, you dark angel, whose light still shines down and brightens us into inspiration!