When Lincoln High School students & staff were informed we were reopening our campus for in-person instruction, Lincoln Tigers were asked how they felt about returning and created a community poem.

Lincoln High School Library Back to School Community Poem

In High School, students can use the skill of digital storytelling to convey complex ideas and combine multimedia to really show what they know.

High school books

Chalkboard

The reopening Excited but not planning Crazy idea Looking forward to Dissatisfaction the same No meaning to do Patient about it Couldn't wait the society Yield and opened.

Days pass by like a blink of an eye Someday I hope we can return to school at the right time Can't go back without the shot So let's hit those books and study a lot Can't go back to get contaminated because we are all not vaccinated So let's be cautious and wear a mask Believe in yourself because it's time to multitask

From the school to the internet From the sun to the light of my screen To what classroom do I still have Reminiscing the past Never heard quiet till breakout rooms came Social interactions is forgotten Nothing is the same Grades slowly becoming rotten Waking up at nine in the morning Not caring what I look behind the screen Still somehow constantly yawning A world where no one is seen.

Soon the school schedule would change There would be less time to sleep in But, like many other things in life We have to adapt and get used to the adjustments Keep pressing forward and pave the way for a great life No matter what the obstacles that obstruct your path may be.

I dislike attending online school, it's so boring I wanna drool. All these assignments make me oh so stressed, almost to the point where I feel depressed.

Now back to schedules and lunch and stress.

I like egg, with the cheese and bread.&#160; In my mind, there are flavors different kind.&#160; With an apple make it simple and breakfast could help me flow.

LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY POEM CONTINUED I can't even handle routine Procrastination It's 2 am The days are zooming by Thinking that the world was just me In my mind, there are flavors different kind With the world opening its arms once again Now back to schedules and lunch and stress The reopening Can safety be found on campus I hope to find my friends back at school I do not want to return to wear a mask I wouldn't wanna stay in a classroom all day with a mask on Scrub with soap and water

Against online school for the longest time But this new experience might've changed my mind Felt like I was robbed of a junior year Spent some of my days shedding a tear Falling asleep in front of my computer screen I&#8217;m not alone right, my fellow teens? Okay, STOP the negativity!! What were some fun activities? It was great for the first few months Got my exercise, and went on a few runs Affected many people's mental health As well as adult's overall wealth Able to realize who my real ones are Lost some friends, but no need to start a war A true believer that everything happens for a reason Did we seriously pass all four seasons? Thankful for EVERYTHING I have today Here's a reminder: normal life will come back your way!

THE IDEA BEHIND THIS POETRY BOOK This spring Lincoln High School students and staff were informed we were reopening our campus for in-person instruction. Returning to school coincided with April, which is National Poetry Month. Lincoln Library reached out to our Lincoln Tigers to ask the how they felt about returning, or not returning to campus, and to share their thoughts and feelings in a poem. The goal was to create a community poem using individual lines from each submission. This idea was sparked by poet and novelist Kwame Alexander who did something similar, but on a much larger scale, with the Civil Rights Memorial Center. The following is the "Lincoln High School Back to School Community Poem" compiled from our own Lincoln Tigers' poetry submissions.

It's 2 am Still playing that game? hurry up man the quiz will be a pain what? really? your homework's not done? oh you still have time shit- here comes the sun.

Watching the golden horizon as the sun goes down Listening to the nightingales soothing night sound Basking in the sunlight on a warm and sandy beach Gazing at blue clouds that's too faraway to reach Where life is filled with many family and friends Possibilities and opportunities that never ends This haven called home is where I will want to be Forever looming high is the states palmetto tree.

As public places begins to shut down, Many people started to show frowns, We had to keep our distance, If only this was nonexistence, But now things are starting to reopen, Businesses and outside activities are back into motion, Slowly we see schools proceeding again, Students are coming out of their dens, Everyone still taking safety precautions, However there are still many limitations, We must continue to wear masks, Keeping sanitized as to following the school's task, This pandemic sure has been a rollercoaster, Emotions were like a colorful poster.

Return Back to school I shall not But as a student I must still do my job Even still it is not a bad idea so we can create fun times But I will not mind while I am going to be comfy and feel nice I do not want to return to wear a mask If on campus I take off my mask for a bit Have I committed a crime? For better or for worse I do like how this idea gives people a shine of hope.

Staying home for good. When will this come to an end? Hope to meet you soon.

we are one. we are the same we are strong &#8220;until further notice school will be cancelled for 2 weeks!&#8221; some of us laughed. some of us were happy. some upset. but we all thought the same thing. it was just a small break.... now it&#8217;s april of 2021. it&#8217;s been 412 days since lincoln students have stepped on campus. a lot of us lost a ton during this lockdown. many loved ones, many relationships torn apart. self isolation can do a lot mentally. we are all tired and broken. deprived of motivation. but we are the same, and we are strong. so we shall endure it a little longer. very soon we shall relieve in the sunlight safely, run freely in the fields. we will be able to love and touch again. we are strong, so we will endure a little more. we will be okay.

LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY POEM CONTINUED Home for months It's so boring I wanna drool "At school" it's 1:30pm you close your eyes for 5 minutes, it's 1:31pm Getting dressed, people get dressed but it's a past memory I&#8217;m overloaded Living at school sucks I learn through a screen In virtual learning, 30 small squares equals students in a class A world where no one is seen feels kind of alone I am at battery percentage zero

Life is unpredictable But, the best things come when they do There is no time limit for happiness And all you can do is live your life.

All Virtual The world we live in All Virtual As I finish my classes I learn through a screen Not as new anymore All virtual Just me Alone, with the screen learning Listening but its not the same Its easy Then difficult I miss seeing my friends normally But now its All virtual I cant wait to be back So we can get off the screen for a bit And sit with another person It would now only be Part virtual

Roses are red, Violets are blue, Staying at home is safe, But I miss you.

As the petals fall Every petal a memory of what once was With the world opening its arms once again I&#8217;m afraid to face it all Days and nights of isolation Loneliness is a second skin Cocooned in my thoughts Myself and a recluse akin When our school opens again Will I be okay Out of touch from reality Home is where I&#8217;ll stay.

No, I don't want to return to school I just want to be in my bed and open zoom Because in school there is no bed But at home I will be able to rest.

i like staying home its where i can use my phone it is my peace zone

Wash hands well each day To keep germs away Scrub with soap and water And be on your way.

One blink, freshman year. Still feeling immature. Still feeling not assured. "But that's okay, you're still young." "Take a breath, you've just begun" Two blinks, almost junior year. Still feeling immature. Still feeling not assured. "You need to go above and beyond." "All those opportunities, go respond." Three blinks, college is here. Oh how much high school seemed dear. Oh how much COVID interfered. Everything seems so unclear. Doesn't matter, I need to persevere.

I hope for the best School opens and brings me hope, I have fears yet have none now can safety be found on campus, no one knows, but at last I am feared.

Eyes gleam from the shine of morning Feet bare, the wind is breathing Loud silence, bliss to all I wish night would never fall Alarm buzzes beneath my pillow I am at battery percentage zero School, online though Virtual life I shall go It&#8217;s better than suffocation I'm living in my own habitation Mentally, feeling worn out Physically, my shape is in doubt But it&#8217;s okay I am used to it everyday

As I sit on my desk, I look out the window, see how the birds soar so high above me, and realized even a bird, has more freedom than I, at this harsh time.

AND HERE ARE ALL OF THE POEMS The poems our students, and a few of our staff, submitted were so raw, so emotional, so visceral, we had to include them in their entirety. Each one of these poems speaks to how we are all feeling, touches on hidden thoughts and suppressed emotions, raises fears that we have been in denial about, and, at the same time, shows hope for the future. LINCOLN TIGERS ROAR!!

Bad habits have formed Lost and confused Under the same conditions constantly Racing to complete assignments Rushing to complete so many assignments Every day feeling the same Devoid of excitement and sleep.

Roses are red,&#160; Violets are blue,&#160; I hope to find my friends back at school.

Staying at home, what a dream, That&#8217;s what we all thought before we&#8217;ve seen. Days become months and months become a year, And still, we&#8217;re trapped inside full of fear. It&#8217;s 9 in the morning, turn on my computer, Staring at black screens, listening to my teachers. Knocking out assignments, working in class, In reality, just waiting for these long hours to pass. Watching the clock pass hour by hour, Sometimes my thoughts overpower. Feeling helpless, sad, and blue, Lost in the life I once knew. But why do I feel this way when I have much, Things for others that are out of touch. But I wait to go to sleep for my escape, Cause sometimes staying awake is too much pain. A battle we face every day, School used to be different in so many ways. New memories in high school, that was the cost, A constant reminder of what we have lost. But to keep our friends and family safe, We shall stay in and have some faith.

I hate online school My home is not my own It belongs to LAUSD Living at school sucks.

my soul is deteriorated, even staring outside a window cannot renew the happiness I&#8217;ve had.

I wake up, I do the same routine. Open my laptop and go on zoom. The days are zooming by, Deadlines are assigned left and right. I am exhausted, I am tired, But who isn&#8217;t?

I feel great at home. Home is what I like the most. Home is way better.

Pandemic Math In virtual learning, 30 small squares equals students in a class. For hybrid, students sit six feet apart and follow the arrows. Both are about forcing people into geometric spaces. People are NOT only lines, boxes, squares, inches, or circles. The pandemic has created a new subject: Personometry, While revealing the limits on multi-dimensional flesh and blood.

An unexpected turn in life, One no one saw coming, A year later we&#8217;re still not together. From virtual meetings, to wearing a mask all day, Life at home is a bust, And not going to school is unideal. Vaccines are so close, Returning to normality, Life is still a little weird, But soon we&#8217;ll be as one again, And talk about our worries, And be as close as it was before. For now safe at home is how I prefer to learn, Even though there is a lot of disturbances, I like safe and sound and cozy as well.

scared is what i feel going back to school the feeling of getting covid hurts somebody coughs and oh no it's on my t-shirt i'd rather stay home and stay safe than go to school and start counting my days

staying at home feels kind of alone such different times feels much like a lifetime

Sitting at a desk, people sit at a desk, Working all together, people work together, Getting dressed, people get dressed but it's a hassle. A home, a home, that is a home! A school, a school, that is a school! Sitting behind a screen, people sit behind screens, Working on a bed, people work on beds, Getting dressed, people get dressed but it's a past memory. A home, a home, that is a home! A school, a school, that is a school!

sickness in the air people spreading it around students staying home sleeping in class dreaming on sheep never going out and staying inside sad days stuck in the bad ways home for months never out calling friends but ain't hanging out

This place I call home where it's more comfortable away from the world A classroom occupies a spot mustn't fall behind Looming work has to be done Questions and uncertainty I know I'm not the only one Motivation flickers Procrastination bickers One step back or one step forward The decision lies on me Impending fear feeds Schoolwork grows Trimming what I can Return to school or stay at home... The world moves on and I follow.

At first home feels great but then as time goes by it became bored and lonely. Thinking that the world was just me.

LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY POEM CONCLUDED I feel great at home Because in school there is no bed I&#8217;m safe and the ones I love as well This haven called home is where I will want to be It is my peace zone But I miss you. Scared is what I feel going back to school As the school would be in two groups, online or hybrid Has more freedom than I Feels like the price were suppose to pay Wow, I never knew I missed this place. Keep pressing forward and pave the way for a great life There is no time limit for happiness Hope to meet you soon. Have a good day We will be able to love and touch again.

An early morning breeze, The cold air hits your face. Entering back seems exciting, But a new normal doesn't. Seeing familiar faces with joy But do they look the way you last saw them? Sitting in a classroom makes you realize, Wow, I never knew I missed this place.

COMMUNITY POEM APRIL 2021

Now what may be right May not introduce light Living under rocks 8 hours a day Feels like the price were suppose to pay Social distancing Not everyone obey Casualties in the hundreds of thousands Lets hope it never hits a million For that lets pray For a better next day.

LINCOLN HIGH BACK TO SCHOOL COMMUNITY POEM This pandemic sure has been a rollercoaster Did we seriously pass all four seasons An unexpected turn in life The world moves on and I follow Every day feeling the same Lost in the life I once knew My soul is deteriorated, even staring outside a window cannot renew the happiness I&#8217;ve had Oh how much high school seemed dear.

graphics taken from <a href="https://www.balabolka.me">balabolka.me</a>

Procrastination, More time no work done, Draining and sleeping.

As school closed for years, now it's the reopening, As the school would be in two groups, online or hybrid, As a group of students would enter the school, I wouldn't, I indeed know there are little differences among online and hybrid, so I choose to stay home. I indeed feel that my best option is continuing online school, it's safe and almost the same. I indeed hope the students coming back would be safe and educated similarly.

In your bed it's 6am you close your eyes for 5 minutes, it's 7:45am. "At school" it's 1:30pm you close your eyes for 5 minutes, it's 1:31pm.

Back to school, Have a good day. mask on face, keeps things away.

I think staying home would be the better choice I wouldn't wanna stay in a classroom all day with a mask on By staying home I don't have to get up that early.

I&#8217;m a robot I can&#8217;t compute The input the does not make sense I&#8217;m overloaded I have a tough exterior And a stoic face I&#8217;m cold and heartless With not enough memory I can&#8217;t delineate reality from fiction The signs are clear yet I can&#8217;t compute I had faulty programming So give me more data So I could learn What is right from wrong What is truth from lies.

For now, I must be stone cold To take the hits And outlast the energy Of hateful bits Please... Reconfigure, reformat, reboot My model is old I can&#8217;t keep up I need the newest version To help me last And emerge to perform As a better unit With parts that relate And work well together With gears in place And connections strong My cpu brain needs rewiring So that my model fits In this present day chaos That is bound to change The very next day.

my brain was annihilated i regressed, i'm at an all-time low i neglect all of my work the overdue list grows ginormous i can't even handle routine i don't wanna stagger to school im exhausted every hour can't focus, can't keep up every lesson is alien despite my seeming apathy i stress, i want to learn my hair keeps falling out when my brain is clear enough i try my hand at the upcoming work leave undone assignments alone where do i write math problems? do i skip forty pages do i use a new notebook instead do i do it on my computer do i procrastinate even more i passively reach for help but i fear committing myself to action almost adult, but i'm in a haze how am i supposed to thrive

Looking out the window of my &#8220;prison cell,&#8221; I longed to be out but I know too well, That if I do take that dangerous step, I&#8217;d be being selfish and I&#8217;d forget, About the ones I hold so dear, So I lay here in all of my fear. I deal with the strife, fatigue, and all, But later conclude that these issues are small, Because even though I won&#8217;t dare take the risk, At least I have plenty of little trinkets. They bring me laughter, fun, and calm. They bring my family together, including my mom. So I&#8217;m content in my &#8220;prison cell,&#8221; I&#8217;m safe and the ones I love as well. We&#8217;ll all stay safe in our homes as one, and never forget you can always make your own cinnamon buns!

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