I thoroughly enjoyed my trips to The Aconbury Centre Pupil Referral Unit to join Joelle Taylor and Kenny Baraka who were spending three days with students there. It was great to see students discuss quite mature issues and themes after hearing Joelle Taylor perform her poems. Kenny Baraka was full of sincerity, energy and enthusiasm and he was able to extend the students' ideas and thinking. The pride the students felt in the poems they created by the end of each session was clear for all present to see and it is heartening to know that these students, who often refuse to write, were really keen to show off their poems to other members of staff. Here are two of the poems created by students:
I am a bad man
I see emotions; pain, fire, a black hole.
There’s only a little part of me that’s
happy,
I’ve done wrong.
I’m brave, I’m fearless : no-one can stop me.
A little bubble… that can pop,
I need to stop : make a start.
Hope Brain
Mixed Feelings
A playful dolphin is like
A playground packed with crazy students
A playground packed with crazy students is like
A suitcase loaded with colourful clothes
A suitcase loaded with colourful clothes is like
A child filled with sadness
A child filled with sadness is like
A car with no fuel
