Class poem English 2600 Fall 2023

Photo Credit: Alexis Ramos

Photo Credit: Dominic Chamorro

LA is not what it seems

LA has many abnormal people

LA is probably one of the most diverse cities in the world

LA is really big

LA has beautiful sunsets after seeing the brown skies all day         (Sophia)

Family is the most important thing in our community

Homelessness is a big issue in LA

Mental health affects many young adults

Hollywood is where the rich live or Beverly Hills with the nice houses

Clear ocean water, warm sand in your toes, wind in your face, and ocean waves crashing     (Alexis)

Beautiful views

How close everything is from the beach to Downtown to the mountains

Good weather, good music, good food

Variety of cars      (Dwayne)

Photo Credit: Alexis Ramos

Traffic, freeways, heat/weather, beach, music, corruption, love for the city, community, understatement, views  (Nancy)

Foodtrucks,

Music: NWA, Death Row, Motely Crue

Car culture: low riders, JDM

Food

Sports (my brother’s a Chargers fan)

Tying back to NWA, “Straight Outta ________” merch

UCLA and USC merch

Graffiti                         (Kendall)

Photo Credit: Sophia Flores

The graffiti in Los Angeles is not always a bad ugly gang related work but sometimes beautiful art of people expressing themselves or their culture

Photo Credit: Dominic Chamorro

You see it on the liquor store walls or any business store

Photo Credit: Dominic Chamorro

That likes to express themselves in the way of art       (Espy)

Graffiti

LA’s grimy set design

Our most underappreciated art.

Photo credit: Dominic Charmorro

The entire city is a playground and a canvas at the same time

It covers the floor, the walls, our doors, even our cars

We even learned to leave messages in the sky

You notice it anywhere you go

So just know, I appreciate your art.     

Photo Credit: Dominic Chamorro

Murder is always interesting yet there’s still a mystery

The H of the Hollywood sign was cursed with the soul of a failed actress,

The magic of Hollywood promised to all and yet given to none

For I see it all behind my rear view mirror

I drive the freeways seeing my culture being taken but I never forget

The view and the lights seen through my eyes and I know I would see it the next day

(Isabella)

Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Dominic Chamorro

Memories. The trips to La Brea Tar Pits, where a city of dinosaurs and wooly mammoths are easy to imagine.

The breaking dawn behind hills and freeways on our way to a school track meet.

The cozy warmth of summer sand between my toes   (Melissa)

Photo credit: Alexis Ramos

After two and a half hours

My ears ringing

The only noise I hear

Are pebbles cracking under pushing wheels

A silver tray with onion and peppers

Neighboring bacon wrapped sausages

An after show ritual

That I gleefully take part in.         (Salvador)

Photo Credit: Alexis Ramos

Tectonic plate neighborhoods,

Layering on top of and grinding against

Each other.

L.A. is a long story of drifting, hewing, and cleaving.

The dirt tells secrets of buried schools

And native graves

Under concrete streets and star studded boulevards.         (Mars)

Thanks to my English 2600 class! Jenny