Author: Jeremiah Champ, 8th grade
Crowds of people walking around like bees surrounding honey,
small stands placed everywhere like a market.
Finally a stand we are familiar with
there flapping in the wind.
Hangs a familiar Bosnian style flag.
Bringing home closer to us!
Tugging on mom’s coat while pointing
speechless as to what I just found!
We rush to the stand, giving them money desperate to buy the flag.
After we buy the flag we rush home.
Eager to plant motherland right outside our door for everyone to see!
When we arrive home we put the flag in its holder,
spreading its cloth like an eagle spreads its wings.
I finally feel home again,
reminding myself to never forget where I came from.
Having the comfort of the flag & family is the best thing you could ever feel!
At last I have my normal life back!
Overview
Eighth grade English students at KIPP DC: KEY Academy considered the challenges of fictional and real refugees in their fall unit, centered around a study of the novel Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. The novel tells the story of a young Vietnamese girl and her family who are forced to flee their home during the fall of Saigon and ultimately begin to build a new life for themselves in Alabama. At the end of the unit, students used their knowledge of free verse poetry to write their own narrative poems that captured the universal refugee experience.
Serve Boldly 