Category: Piece of the Week

by JO, Yolo They calling me a monster I know I needa changeAin’t lookin’ for a good job ain’t lookin’ for yo’ praiseNeed to stop doing what I’m doing and start thinkin’ like a manTime to grow up the life I’m living ain’t no gameYou don’t know how much I struggle with thinking different everydayAll this anger, pain, regret, inside me it’s so hard to tameWaking up thinking I’m home but I’m still inside this cageHaving dreams I’m on the outs waking up still in these chainsOnly time I’m happy when I’m sleep in different realities‘Cause I’m in my real

by P, San Mateo  If I could get rid of any rule or law I would ban life sentences and get rid of the death row. Why? Incarceration is already too hard on a person and the government would rather have convicts rot in prison than rehabilitate individuals. I personally have not been affected by this law, nor do I know someone serving a life sentence. But if this consequence was to be banned, I think many families would be more complete. Just maybe the nepotism of incarceration would cease to exist.  I currently reside in Daly City. As you

by A, Sacramento You will face a lot of challenges in your life and let me be the first to tell you that life is not easy. So many unfair and things no human deserves will happen to you but I promise you will get through it. You are resilient and you are beautiful inside and out. You are worthy of love and don’t let anyone tell you different. Your journey is going to have a lot of obstacles but you cannot give up, giving up is the easy way out. God gave you this life because he knew you

 Hopeful, San Mateo  There’re different types of laws. Not all of them are physical. Mental laws can be broken. One’s mind is capable of achieving impossible feats. Physicals laws are not something I want to write about. It kills someone who deserves to die. Prison shouldn’t be within arm’s reach since the founding fathers made sure cracks can be manipulated. This issue does not excite me. I would change everything. I’ll let kids run around with plasma rifles if it was possible. Just change all the laws I ain’t really got a favorite.  Redwood City is where I’m from. It’s

by JC My point of view on life is that whatever you give into this world, comes full circle, right back to you. Now, it may not come directly to you, it may come to a loved one or someone around you. Think about it. I’ll give you some examples.  Let’s say you’re in the store and the lady in front of you is short on cash and you step up and pay for her. It’ll probably make you feel good and probably make her day. Now, in some point in time in your life, it could be you or

by Your Inner Self, AH Dear Adrian,  It’s me, your inner thoughts. I know you got some time, some time that you were not expecting. But you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and make the most out of the time you are given.  I know that is easier said than done, but it’s something you got to do. Right now, there is a battle of positive and negative going on in your head, both sides of you are going at it. Adrian vs. Rico. Good vs. Bad. You can’t let Rico win.  I know that things seem bad

by AGee It’s pride month, so let’s let ‘em know what it isGay love, man that’s the best love there isFemale and female, male and maleI don’t care what you are, we’re all human, can’t you tell?I don’t get why people hateLove is effing loveLGBTQ we’re all humans, no one’s aboveWe can’t change who we areWe won’t change just for you‘Cause everyone is differentMan, it’s nothing newIt’s like the color of your skinAin’t nothin’ you can do about itBut you can change your mindsetChange how you think about itGay, straight, bi, trans, and everything elseI love you for who you

by MW Waking up in a cold sweat. It’s a little past seven in the morning.  I’m getting ready for school. Mom’s cooking woke me up out of that bad dream. I wonder what life would be like if these were different?  “Your bus is going to be outside, get there!”  As I ate the last of my bacon, I forgot my dang coat. It was raining.  “What are you doing?”  I snatched my jacket as I ran from her voice. Thinking to myself, I can never get a break.  I been so annoyed that I didn’t even talk to

by AF Well, I know this isn’t to my dad, so I want to talk about him. I was named after him, and he was named after his dad, which makes me the third and him the junior. My dad showed me a pic when I was born. I was surrounded by hundred dollar bills and I never asked him where he got all that money.  But as I grew up, I connected the pieces. My dad was in the streets, and I’m not talking about homeless. It’s exactly as it sounds. The streets. Man, when I was younger, I

by TL “Let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.” – Barack Obama I agree with Obama’s quote. Participating in violence will only make a situation worse. All the protests that have been going on violently doesn’t make anything better. Not for the community, not for us, especially not for the children.  If we want everyone to cooperate, police and civilians, black people, white people, white children, black children. This