This is a new section of our web site. It is devoted to poems and other writings.

"my mom.... She left state while I was staying with a friend over Thanksgiving. I knew she had been talking about going down to Oklahoma but she hadn't said when or anything. So I call home and she's not there...."

Ceema lived on the streets at 16, after losing contact with her mother. At one point, she found herself living around people dealing drugs and prostituting themselves. She was able to met StandUp For Kids street Outreach counselors one night. She remembers Sheila and Jim. Sheila was very kind and understanding.

Through the years, Ceema stayed at Urban Peak off and on, a homeless and street kids shelter in Denver. She later took a job as a receptionist there. She was homeless for five years.

She was just promoted to peer outreach counselor where she gets to help kids that are living on the streets just like she was. Through the undying love of many people, this beautiful young lady is now living in her own apartment, serving homeless kids, smiling, in contact some with her Mother and little sister, cooking & eating, celebrating her 21 years on this planet, and is thinking of going to college!

We thank you, Sheila, Jim, STANDUP FOR KIDS, Urban Peak...

We believe in you, Ceema!!!

These wonderful poems are by a very strong and amazing young woman, Ceema.

~The Kids Between The Cracks~

They sit in hooded circles
Passing it around
A broken bottle of courage
To reflect in the sky
In the clouds you can see their tears
Their fears and their longing
And when they find it & it’s filled
They smash it up
A radio propelled against the wall

The love they need is every day
The love they need is every way
The love they need is not even tho
But Because

They talk and fight and always think they’re right
Because they’ve seen more than you
And at 19, that’s true
Holding memories that the businessman can not
And at 18, that’s true
Having lived in places only mice should live
And at 17, that’s true
Knowing what it’s like
The needle and the damage done
And at 16, that’s true
Owning the simple want of learning to drive

Somewhere in their lives something devastating happened
Something huge and meaningful and
Not Right
Somewhere they were given up on
But did not give up

They are faithless
Don’t trust in God
But God sits in everyone
And they have no idea how religious they really are

-Ceema

~Theif~

Stole my star light
My moon light
My sun so bright

Kept me locked in a barren room
Swelling with dust and
Losing fame
Set the trap on me
As if I were some animal
Let me go
As if he had the right to

Lost my light after he took it
Passed it around to all his friends
Called me a child & slapped my face
Spitting on tears he tried to drown me
Reaching in my pocket I found it empty
Couldn’t believe that was gone too

With no more will it was hard to imagine
Communicating in code
Like some kind of animal
With the smell of Death everywhere

It was difficult to see
Praying to the Gods and getting no help

Wanting to wake up wake up
To be woken up
From this harsh
This dark
This hard
This cold
This broken
This lonely
This watery dream

-Ceema 3-9-01

 I fail
All of this
We can't survive
All of this
Where's the words
All of this
Beautiful child
All of this
Seconds will remain
All of this
I am alone
All of this
Where are they
All of this
I don't know how
All of this
I want to become
All of this

-Ceema 6/3/01