PGN LGBTQ YOUTH SUPPLEMENT
PAGE 4
During the spring cycle of The Attic’s programming, there was a group called Fox Tales, based on an anime we had watched in the previous cycle. The anime, “Naruto,” is about a young boy whose father imbued him with a demon called the nine-tale fox. This led to him having
Fox Tales
BY CRYSTAL SPARROW, LORAN GRISHOWSCHADE, FOX TALES FACILITATORS
a hard time fitting in with his society. We discussed this
FALL 2017
in the context of our own lives, when we’ve felt separate from those around us. This led to an anthology of youth-created art, poetry and flash fiction about group members’ struggles with their own “nine-tale foxes.” Here are some examples.
Confidence WRITTEN BY MITCH ILLUSTRATED BY KARIN
Fierce Drag
There are always the naysayers They try to knock down and kicky you They will burn and mock your differences They’ve done it to me
ILLUSTRATED BY LIYANNA WRITTEN BY MITCHELL Fighting dirty glares In my own way I express Eternally my own me Rejected by some Community in its own right Every performance I am really
They saw my gumdrop coil hair They could smell my natural oil They noticed the bluebell eye contrast on my face They saw my differences and mocked me If I told, they denied If I cried, they laughed My confidence was downtrodden and crushed
Down the catwalk Runway performance Always on point Gotta get my tens
My hair fell out My eyes were so familiar with the floor it could be the back of my hand I felt like nothing from their words But like their hands, others struck a chord Cowards die many times before their deaths The valiant never taste of death but once These words breathed new life into me I grew my hair and kept it natural I stared people down with my sapphire eyes They were thrown My once-gentle gaze Had hardened My confidence was renewed
The Castle and the Sun WRITTEN BY BILLIE JONES Oh castle covered in darkness, Rain pouring down on its walls. Thick thorns climbing, clinging The thunder rolling, Then striking the dark clouds With lightning. Those who look upon the bleak castle, The Castle of Despair They too fall into despair and grief The rain The wind The clouds Just their presence alone Weighs them all down Like the heavy, oynx bricks That the castle is made from But the storm never stays When the rain stops and the clouds break, The sun shines over the castle
With a beautiful, endless sea of blue above Roses blossoming along the thorns The wet bricks are sleek and clean. Those who see the bright light The Sunlight of Hope They too are filled with hope and joy The sun The sky The roses All of this lifts the despair away Making the air unsuffocating Reminding everyone that the pain never lasts The despair never lingers long Grief eventually crawls away We will always have our own Castle of Despair But our Sunlight of Hope Will always shine as well
Scales ILLUSTRATED AND WRITTEN BY VINCENT Scales was known as Vincent Daniels. He was one of the unpopular kids in school. He had only one friend named Emily Steinberg. Vincent went to Oxdon University, a very small college campus in Philadelphia. Vincent identified as a homosexual male. He’s a science major in chemical formulas. His professor considers him one of his straight “A” students in the class. His bullies’ names are Braheim, Naheim and Mike. They used to beat him up after school. They use to put feces on his assigned chair and push him against the lockers. Emily made him comfortable in his school. They have been friends since kindergarten. A long-lasting relationship as friends that was indestructible finally came to an end when Vincent and Emily were walking home one school night. Emily and Vincent were turning on Norkock Street, which is the street they both lived on. A mysterious black Camry was following them. Vincent turned around as Emily yelled, “Look out!” She
jumps in front of Vincent as the gunshot goes off. Next day was Emily’s funeral. Vincent pays his respects and says a few words about his best friend. On Monday, he’s back in school with everyone being devastated about Emily’s death. Vincent stays in the school to go to work on his project. As he walks
towards the lab, there’s a green glow coming out of the room. He peeks in the door and finds his science professor has created an illegal experiment. He bangs on the door and his professor accidentally splashes his experiment on him. He runs out as Vincent is on the floor in pain. He now is known as Scales.