My Rose It lives in concrete
No soil. Struggle
It still grows. It’s fighting
My rose is strong.
My rose keeps trying.
A little sun A little water
In a big world it keeps
Gnawing
Danger all around. It keeps
Gnawing.

So writes a youngster who goes by the name Lil’ Guru. 

The youth is part of a new Tennessee Shakespeare Company program that is helping incarcerated juveniles find their voices and express their emotions through poetry. 

The Poetic Justice Program was designed for youth ages 12 to 18 and is conducted by the TSC daily in three, one-hour sessions. Participants, who are unnamed in this story and the accompanying photographs due to privacy concerns, were handpicked for the six-week program based on their receptiveness and readiness for the type of self-reflection the course requires.

Opinion: We need a third option for handling violent juveniles

The six weeks culminates in September’s “Poetic Justice: Works by Incarcerated Youths in Memphis.” During the event, professional actors will read poetry anonymously written by the program’s participants. 

Joyce Anderson, juvenile program manager for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, said the youth held in the detention facilities often come from fractured homes, putting additional importance on programs that expose the children to various topics.

“They help the youth balance and become strong in their thinking and managing their behavior,” Anderson said. “We are so glad to have Tennessee Shakespeare Company because they ... have introduced the youth to poetry, and the youth begin to see that they can manage conflict and that others have conflict, too.”

Some of the poets the incarcerated students have studied include Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Tupac Shakur and E. E. Cummings, and they have explored works ranging from haikus to odes, free verse and spoken word.

TSC has worked with the juvenile detention center for six years through various programs. Bill Adkins III, counselor for Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, said since the partnership with TSC began, there has been an understanding with the students that it’s a safe space to express emotions and that everyone has different opinions and beliefs.

Shakespeare Co. takes on Louisa May Alcott and Charles Dickens

“I’ve seen kids from different makeups and backgrounds, and they come to a common ground of respecting each other’s opinions,” Atkins said. “That’s probably one of the best lessons I’ve seen come out of the Poetic Justice program.”

Cara Geissler, director of education for TSC, and Nic Picou, lead teacher for Poetic Justice, have facilitated the interactive program via Zoom. The TSC facilitators read and write poetry alongside the students.

“This beautiful community has developed where we can all feel like we can be ourselves and tell our own story,” Geissler said. “As actors, we always want to foster that as well.”

Chief Dora Benn, jail chief inspector for the Juvenile Detention Center, reiterated that the Poetic Justice program has been a good outlet for the incarcerated youth. Some of the students had never written poetry before.

“When I go visit the children in different areas, several of them want to read their poems to me,” Benn said. “Some of the kids keep the poems in their pockets. Some of the poems they have written and just how talented they are really brings tears to your eyes.”

Tennessee Shakespeare Co. offers literary salon online

The students often wrote of the struggles they have endured in their short lives and how they are changing for the better while incarcerated.

“Nic (Picou) introduced a poem, and the kids dove into it because of the lifestyle they have experienced,” Anderson said. “One student was almost in tears. He related to what that poem was. It makes our youth look forward to coming to the program, and they’re excited to come every day.”

The program is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission as part of an effort to provide educational opportunities for underserved populations in nontraditional school settings. Both TSC and the juvenile detention centers hope to continue the program next year with more students and hopefully in an in-person setting rather than over Zoom video.

“We are all here for one thing and one purpose — to rehabilitate and educate our children and put them in a position so when they get out in the community, they can go out on a positive note,” Benn said. “We want to make sure they get all the necessary programming and education so when they go out in the community, they can be in a safe community and be successful.”

The “Poetic Justice” poetry performance will be held Sunday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. at Tennessee Shakespeare Company, 7950 Trinity Road. Tickets to the public performance are free and available here.