An Ode to Freedom - A Collection of Poems from the Students of the New Mexico School for the Arts

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

A collection of student poems from the New Mexico School for the Arts centered on freedom, identity, grief, and cultural memory. The volume presents distinct voices shaped by love, jealousy, loss, and the struggle to let go, often using vivid sensory imagery and personal scenes. Poems move between intimate self-reflection and shared community experience, pairing themes of regret and resurrection with moments of heat, dust, water, and light rooted in New Mexico.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages64

Reading Time1 h 39 min

AccessFree to download

Content

Citrus Sky

Letting Go

Silence

A mother's words

Jealousy

# An Ode to Freedom A Collection of Poems from the Students of theNew Mexico School for the Arts An Ode to Freedom ## A Collection of Poems from the Students of theNew Mexico School for the Arts ISBN:978-1718760042 PUBLISHED BY COMMUNITY PUBLISHING,LLC ◎2018:ALBUQUERQUE,NM::HTTP://COMMUNITYPUBLISHING.ORG Any reproductions or retransmissions without the express writtenconsent of Community Publishing may result in legal action.Thank you for respecting artistic and intellectual property rights! Content Citrus Sky -Elena Backus y Herrera Letting Go-Alana Williams Jealousy -Amy Borton Freedom -Amy Borton The Liar-Annmarie Garcia Running-Annemarie Garcia Who Are You?-Carter Williams An Ode to My Culture -Carter Williams My Sexy-Ass Thighs -Chloe Hanna Nuestro Futuro-Domenica Nieto Raices -Domenica Nieto An Ode to My Blood -Elena Backus y Herrera NOUN.-Emily Quintana Afraid -Emily Quintana Simpleton-Emily Quintana Korean Meatballs -Kayla Botsian My Resurrection Funeral-Lex Morris-Wright Ghosts -Lex Morris-Wright How Grief Moves -Myriah Duda Fake Season-Myriah Duda Contact-Magdalena Jablonski Sandbox-Magdalena Jablonski Brought Out Like This -Tallulah V.Nepstad Acknowledgements -Tallulah V.Nepstad 3 4 7 9 12 15 17 20 24 27 30 32 35 37 38 39 41 44 45 47 49 51 53 56 Citrus Sky by Elena Backus y Herrera I am an empty bathtub begging to be filled;orange juice,tar,anything. ## I am moisture evaporating from the valleys in my skin.I am a tumbleweed fortress; nothing can knock me down,nothing. I am a stream,drowned by the whistle of wind. I am the dust that whirls through time; endless,disorienting. I am the last drop of Story Lake. My shore is now a cliff whispering,"Jump,jump, jump." I am heat waves rising from the pavement; New Mexico true.I am our sunsets; always captured in pictures,but still somehow forgotten. ## Letting Go by Alana Williams I. Heart aching, throbbing against a hollowed chest.Bruised from burnt memories.Polaroids and movie tickets. Her body,a trap but no longer hers. Contradictory as that may sound, unable to remember her once baby doll smileabandoned beneath a bed full of tearsstained with angst,love,lack of time. ## Silence, as strong as charred potpourri five senses deep,from a decade you may or may not want to recollect now. ## A mother's words -more wise than ever, yet not enough to canopy what her daughterhas become in less than 24 hours. I. The child's hand resting softly on her father's armfor the first time since innocence,knowing she needs him now. She wants nothing to do with the word alone.At a time when the whole world has stopped,her sheer loss of comprehension. Thirty minutes that felt like foreverreplays in her mind like gruesome movie scenes,roller coaster,a churning stomachas she wonders, ## what's next? She cannot bare the chance to let her thoughts become her biggest vice.So she distracts herself with money,work,"and social media quotes." A box full of a different lifeseems to scream regretin her ears. What was,is no longer reality. Still sitting on a shelf in the back of her closetcollecting dust for many years to come. And when that babydoll smile returns, she will be gladthat box is fullof Polaroidsand movie tickets. ## Jealousy by Amy B. Jealousy looks like a familyroad trip you weren't invited to.An ex-lover kissing someone new.Headphones your dad bought your sisterwith money he borrowed from you. Jealousy is a blown subwoofer.The crunch of stale pizza crust.A cheap excuse over the phone. Tastes like salt water when you're thirsty.Lemonade on a bloody inner cheek.Sour apple candy that makes your face squint. A chile-less burritowhen you askedfor extra red. Grape seeds. Cottonmouth. Jealousy feels like an itch you can'treach, pins and needles in your feet Frostbite -and everyone arou

FAQs

What is the book about?

It is a poetry anthology focused on themes such as freedom, identity, cultural memory, jealousy, and grief, written by students from the New Mexico School for the Arts.

Which poem topics are included in the collection?

The table of contents lists multiple poems, including “Citrus Sky,” “Letting Go,” “Silence,” “A mother's words,” and “Jealousy,” alongside many others.

How does the collection present emotion and experience?

The poems use personal imagery and sensory language to explore inner conflict—such as letting go, coping with loss, and feeling jealousy—while reflecting on memory and change.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang