I Want to Say Hello Again to the Ice Cream Man

[The following post, by a young woman in juvenile detention in King County, Washington, is reprinted with permission from the Pongo Teen Writing website, run by Richard Gold. See also his post, "Poetry as Treatment for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System."
 
NOTE: On Saturday, May 14, 2011, Pongo is holding a workshop for teachers and counselors covering techniques on therapeutic writing in Seattle - scholarships are available. -Ed.]
 
 
Ice Cream Man
by a young woman, age 16 
 
I just thought you should know
that sometimes I'm afraid of you
I don't mind you rep'ing the gangs
but sometimes when I look into your eyes
I see violence against me
I see violence against your grandma
and it hurts me inside
 
I just thought you should know
I want to work in here someday
helping kids that went through what I went through
help them understand why I ran away from home
because my parents beat me
because the stress in my life made me do something stupid
I was the girl who stopped going to school
I was the girl who stopped listening to her parents
who started drinking and smoking

I just thought you should know
that one side of me wants to be with you
                                       and one side of me does not
and the side that does not is confused
feels like a lost sheep

I just thought you should know
I see myself with a happy family
in a park, Oakland, CA, eating barbecued lamb
next to the swimming pool while dads play tennis
and moms talk and serve food
and all the Tongan people speak to the ice cream man

I just thought you should know
I'm tired of seeing what people do on the streets
and I&'m tired of being a part of it

I just thought you should know
I want to say hello again to the ice cream man
 

Photo: jenniferconley.