Before coming on the 2020 Honors Alabama Civil Rights trip, Isaac Paredes ’21, a Cell and Molecular Biology major, wasn’t sure what to expect. Would he look at the civil rights exhibits and historic sites with the detached eye of a scientist? Would the information change his perspective? Being a member of the writing team, and a promising poet, Paredes knew that he wanted to explore his feelings about the trip through poetry.
“I thought about the struggles of prominent people from the civil rights movement, and I tried to relate their experience to my own personal struggles with anxiety and loneliness.” —Isaac Paredes
His Inspiration
I wrote this poem on the trip back to the hotel. I looked out the window into the darkness of rural Alabama, and I thought back to everything I heard that day. I thought about the struggles of prominent people from the civil rights movement, and I tried to relate their experience to my own personal struggles with anxiety and loneliness. I felt vulnerable writing these pieces because I realized that even though I may always feel alone, there are other people out there who face different struggles. We, as individuals, may not have shared conflicts, but we can relate to one another with the emotions we feel.
His Poem
Silence...
Taking a road once forgotten, but never again
Whispering to the shadows around
For wisdom
To teach us what living is all about
Heft in a chest with weary eyes
At a world burning
Lies upon lies.
I stare at the stars knowing someone out there
Feels the same
Then back to the ground I stand upon
Realizing I needn’t look too far
Feeling a hand in the breeze
Tell me all that you need.
Whether through life or death
Our bodies will plant the seed
- Honors 2020 Alabama Civil Rights Trip: Pre-Trip Excitement and Expectations
- Honors 2020 Alabama Civil Rights Trip: Exploring Selma
- Honors 2020 Alabama Civil Rights Trip: A Conversation with John Jay President Karol V. Mason
- Honors 2020 Alabama Civil Rights Trip: An Introspective Essay From Denny T. Boodha ’22
