Youth Voices

Unearthed is honored to feature the voices of Write Out authors in our Spring 2024 issue.

Write Out is an afterschool program that partners with community centers across Syracuse to get youth excited about storytelling. In our writing workshops, students explore topics of self-expression and personal experience—themes that are often overlooked in the school system but are vitally important. By taking an active role in youth development, Write Out seeks to create a community of writers that are confident in sharing their own stories—on their own terms—and to encourage students to write across languages and modes of meaning-making.

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Another Chance

Maryam Adam, 16

Waking up to the winds whispering in the last third of the night.
“Another chance” it softly blows,
I shut my window tight.

I prostrate as my head and nose touch the ground.
Tears come in contact with the prayer mat for hours:
“How much do you love me ya rab?”
An exchange of words just from one side of the door
Crying until my tongue is no more

I lay back in my bed, darkness creeps up my skin
“Another chance” I whisper
As silence tucks me in.

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My name is Maryam Adam, I am a 16-year-old Somali female and a junior at Nottingham High School. I have been a Write Out participant for four years and enjoy feeling the different emotions when writing and reading.

Artist note: This poem is about the Tahajjud prayer. It’s a prayer that symbolizes blessings and the renewal of one’s faith. Being given the chance to wake up at this time of night is a blessing in which you’ll be rewarded with another blessing of Allah (swt). It’s also about bringing a Muslim closer to Allah (swt) and his/or life being filled with peace and happiness.

Blossoms Ramadan

Tiyaa Aden, 16

Coming back to life with a boost of fulfillment
A resurgence of faith fills every space.
The emotions are rushing through my body as if a bottle is about to burst.
With a rising sun, a new day begins.

Wudu five times a day, waves washing away
All of my problems, like a flood at bay.

Taraweeh prayers, unity we strive
Seeking closeness to Allah, our hearts alive.
With everyone standing side by side, striving together in unity and devotion.

Reciting profound verses, we cannot hide.
The words of Allah(swt), so touching.

Zakat, charity and kindness spreading love and care.
A resurgence of compassion, flowing through our veins.

The devastation of watching others surround me with food
Coming home to it all with the crisp smell of sambusa I realized it was all worth it in the end.

Realizing in the month of Ramadan we fall in love & in love with each passing day
As we watch others feast, our hearts grow.

In Ramadan, love blossoms each day.
A beautiful aspect they might say.

O Allah! May I live to cherish the next coming years of Ramadan!

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My Name is Tiyaa Aden, I am a 16-year-old-Somali girl. I am a sophomore who attends Nottingham High School. I am a 2023 Narratio Fellow and also a current Write Out peer mentor. I never really enjoyed writing as much until I joined these programs, it gives me a sensation of peace and a brief welcome to express my heart with just a paper and pencil.

Artist note: What inspired me is when we were breaking down the meaning of resurgence, where one given description was “coming back to life”. With Ramadan approaching in a few days, I just needed to express my love for the month of Ramadan. This poem is about how our hearts cleanse themselves and have the urge to become pure, and to really get closer to Allah. Taraweeh are prayers that are recited from the Quran, and it is where we all come together at the mosque. It’s so joyful and beautiful. The last 10 days of Ramadan I go to every taraweeh prayer because Ramadan is broken into 3 parts and the last 10 days are forgiveness, any day might be laylat-ul qadr the peaceful night.

The 4 feelings

by Saadia Adam, 14

9:00 in the morning and a fresh summer breeze swooping in through an open window. Birds chirping as loud as they can and a feeling of revitalization. A feeling of wanting to be better. A feeling of wanting to be cleansed and cured. The feeling of revival.

10:00 in the morning and a breeze with the smell of leaves crawling through a window. Leaves crunching as people walk on them. A feeling of healing. A feeling of being free under a tree with descending leaves in colors of red, yellow, and dark green. The feeling of freedom.

11:00 in the morning. Cold wind peeking through a window. Waking up just to look out the window and see grey mist and snow covering the ground, and waiting to take over everything else. Waking up to shivers. Waking up to a feeling of destruction.

12:00 in the afternoon. Waking up and looking through a window to see rain with a background of a rainbow. Waking up to the feeling of healing and restoration.

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My name is Saadia Adam. I’m a 14-year-old-writer born and raised in Syracuse, NY, and I’m a freshman at Nottingham High School. I’m Somali and come from a family of 7 (including me).

Artist note: My poem is about the four seasons and the feelings they bring. Whether they bring me joy, revival, comfort, discomfort, and destruction. I wrote about these feelings but disguised them as seasons because I believe that your environment contributes to your emotions.