I wish I knew how to do a backflip.

I wish life was easier.

I wish I knew a whole different group of friends.

I wish life was easier.

I wish I could remember the days when I was a baby.

I wish seeing my dad for only eight hours was easier.

I wish I had a phone to text my friends with, especially Tianna.

I wish my friends wouldn’t joke around with me because they
hurt my feelings.

This poem is published in The World in Me, a compilation of original poetry written by young people ages 8 – 17 who stayed with their families in housing at Solid Ground’s Broadview Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing for women and children. The young authors who contributed to The World in Me are not identified by their real names, and some details have been changed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of them and their families. The authors retain copyrights on their individual works.