Hyde Park Is Sticking Together

This past Thursday was bittersweet, as it marked the final session of Hyde Park’s 2025 poetry club. The poets were presented with a chapbook, full of their favorite poems written over the year. The title chosen by our intrepid poet? Gum. why? “Because we stick together, Mr. C,” and I couldn’t agree more. These young men were each other’s champions, critics, and comrades, and together they became braver writers. I also want to praise Justin and Jeremiah, who were Hyde Park’s ambassadors at this year’s Chicago Poetry Center All-School Reading! For their final poem, the club (and their warrior, Ms. Gholston) wrote an exquisite corpse, with moments from each poem in Gum. Enjoy this small piece of all their hard work, and make it last!

Ms. Gholston

"Fotosynthesis" by The Club

it went dark.
let’s fix it.
I remember yo mama jokes that got too personal
that ended up causing fights.
the good and evil in different people
The folk in our nation’s claim to fame is
Domination.
I remember when rainbows didn’t mean anything.
Taking the wheels off while you’re growing up
release the shackles of
our confinement
my Black is gold
i love you
Black
Starting out in life as a fountain of water. Filling
up bottles for life.