Cecile Mahoro pictured her father as a child.

“I see you bare foot, playing with dirt,” she wrote in the poem she called “Somewhere Far.”

Her lines are full of serenity — “No screens in his face, just the grace of the outside world.” 

These aren’t Cecile’s memories, but an imagined past of her father’s life before she was born. The 11-year-old recently took up poetry after writing about “unicorns and fiction stuff” for about four years, she said. 

“I like poetry because of the emotions in it,” she said, “A lot of deep emotions.”

Although she was nervous, Cecile took to the stage for the first time to perform “Somewhere Far” on Wednesday at The Judith, a cafe in Detroit Shoreway. She was one of about a dozen young poets to perform at the first Corner65 Poetry Club show.

Corner65 hosts a variety of after-school and summer activities for children and teens who moved to the United States from other countries. It’s part of Re:Source Cleveland, a local nonprofit that helps newcomers settle into life here. 

“There’s some really raw and honest and emotional content in their poetry,” said Tommy Frost, the founder of the poetry club. “It was incredibly brave of them to share it.”

Cecile Mahoro reads her poem "Sadness." She wrote the poem about a white crayon, the least-used color in the box.
Cecile Mahoro reads her poem “Somewhere Far.” Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
Corner65 Manager Tommy Frost introduces his poetry students as they begin their show. The girls shared personal feelings and stories in their poems, so they were a little nervous about the show in the weeks leading up to it, Frost said. He was really proud to see them all read their poems regardless, he said.
Corner65 Manager Tommy Frost introduces his poetry students as they begin their show. He was really proud to see them all read their poems, he said. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

‘We’re listening. We care’

Frost, the Corner65 manager, started the poetry club because he wanted to make some space for self-expression and for conversations about mental health, he said. Corner65 started as a sports program, but as more young people joined, they brought with them interests in other things such as art. 

Frost taught high school English in the U.K. before he moved to Cleveland in 2018 and later started working with Re:Source Cleveland. The poetry club began with a small group, but it has steadily grown to include about 12 young women in their pre- to mid-teens. 

The members of the poetry club all moved to the United States from different countries on the African continent. They’ve been in Cleveland for varying lengths of time, but most moved when they were young and have grown up here. 

Cecile Mahoro (left), Chanella Iteriteka (center) and Angelique Anaurite (right) play basketball after an afterschool session of the Poetry Club.
Cecile Mahoro (left), Chanella Iteriteka (center) and Angelique Anaurite (right) play basketball after an afterschool session of the Poetry Club. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

The poetry club helps give them a platform to use their voices, Frost said. “We’re listening. We care. We want you to do well, and we understand that part of that is building up yourself.”

Frost gets help with the club from Creative Specialist Ericka Stewart and Corner65 Coordinator Tricia Kinnane. 

Stewart calls the girls in the club her “Poetry Queens,” a moniker she used as the title of a poem she wrote about them. Kinnane worked with the poets to make collages and paintings to complement their writing. They published their poems and artworks as a book. 

“Having the privilege to be present alongside the queens,” Stewart said. “It’s so beautiful to see them just flourish and just shine beautifully without any type of limits. When it comes to being creative, there’s no limits to what you can express.”

Ericka Stewart reads her poem called "Poetry Queens." She dedicated the poem to the poetry club. "As a young individual in the world today, they have unique stories that need to be heard and that need to be felt," she said. "Young people today are the future."
Ericka Stewart reads her poem called “Poetry Queens.” She dedicated the poem to the poetry club. “As a young individual in the world today, they have unique stories that need to be heard and that need to be felt,” she said. “Young people today are the future.” Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
Corner65 Coordinator Tricia Kinnane hands out bouquets of flowers she made for the poetry students after the show.
Corner65 Coordinator Tricia Kinnane hands out bouquets of flowers she made for the poetry students after the show. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

Witnessing the power of poetry

Chito Zagabe, 15, joined the poetry club because her friends saw potential in her writing. She used to keep her poems to herself, she said, but she’s started to share them. 

“It’s like, writing poems makes me express feelings that I hold in,” she said. “By me writing it out, it makes me feel free.”

She read an untitled poem at the show. It brings readers through a range of emotions, starting with panic that flows into peace as Chito reflects on the power of her mother’s love. She imagined her mother’s eyes lighting up when she first realized she was having a baby. 

She sent the poem to a friend, she said, and the fact that someone else could relate to her work changed the way she saw it. It made her feel a new kind of appreciation for her writing, she said. 

“I was crying at the same time while writing it,” Chito said. “It hit me hard to realize how my mom impacts me, how she affects my life.” 

Chito Zagabe poses for a portrait during an afterschool session of the Poetry Club.
Chito Zagabe poses for a portrait during an afterschool session of the poetry club. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

Lailati Mutoka, 14, started writing four or five years ago, she said. It started out as a way for her to reflect on her life. Now, she has notebooks full of poems. She tears her favorites out to hang on the walls in her bedroom, she said. 

Her poem, “A Side of Me,” is all about how she copes with negative feelings, she said. It’s about the way certain songs soothe her when she feels panicked.

“I don’t like negative thoughts,” Lailati said. “That’s why, when I write poems, I make sure to motivate people.”

K-12 Education and Youth Reporter (he/him)
As a local visual journalist, I see my purpose in building relationships as much as reporting news. I’ve made my most impactful work only after pouring myself into my community.