Finding Home
Amani S.
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As someone who looked very different from most kids in my group, these poems reflect my inner struggles growing up as a first-generation immigrant child. The first poem describes the way I often felt like “dirt” growing up here, but my mom was someone who was very important in my life, and she gave me the courage to never give up on myself. The second poem illustrates how my cultural identity left an imprint on me that I could never entirely get rid of, no matter how much effort I put in. The last poem reflects a multitude of issues, including growing up with less resources while helplessly watching my parents deal with large American medical bills. It also illustrates the very full and happy childhood I had and the way my family adjusted to make the most with everything we had!
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Creativity, for me, is the ability to get in touch with your deepest emotions and experiences and be able to artistically present them to create something meaningful. To me, it is the greatest power in the world, drawing on the beautiful tension between freedom and discipline.