Written by participants in the Runaway with Words program, these poems take us into the domain of runaway, abused, and abandoned, teenagers. We emerge from these pages with a new understanding of their lives, an appreciation for the resiliency of the human spirit, and a growing respect for the creative abilities of these marginalized youth.

As I Watch

As I watch a little boy
shy from a woman who gives warmth,
I watch with sorrow
in my eyes.

As I watch a woman
spill the blood of another,
I cry.

As I watch the boy try
but never succeed
to flee from his monster,
I watch with fright.

As I watch from a window
a little boy fails to fight back
and dies.

As I watch with sad eyes,
I turn from this window
to forget what has happened.
--Kathy, PACE Center for Girls, Orlando