Oftentimes, many people, especially young kids, have a varied way of expressing themselves when coming from multi-lingual households. Instead of suppressing that, we should embrace teaching our youth to exist beyond just English.

Poetry is a great way to start with this process. Although many kids are unfamiliar with the concept of poetry, all the students I’ve worked with as an art teacher have enjoyed the process once they learn about freeform—or being able to write without constraints in a less overwhelming manner compared to full stories or paragraphs. As a published poet and spoken word performer in my personal artistic journey, I even prefer freeform.

Furthermore, youth who come from multi-lingual backgrounds can weave between languages, even if it’s just a word or two in their poetry. Some concepts are inexplicable in English, and we should embrace these linguistic differences. Kids expressing emotions through poetry and language can be extremely regulating, coming from an art teacher who worked mostly with neurodivergent students.

Below is a poem that I have written and performed as spoken word that is an example of the art of poetry across languages!

Goodbye or خداحافظ in Farsi/Persian

The smell of melons twirls in the air

Like it was yesterday

Oh how I miss my home

My home, my home, my home

The smell of the scorching sun

Which melts the soles of my shoes

But you are so far away

My country, my country, my country

The smell of the boiling milk

Because the water isn’t clean

But al hamdulilah

My earth, my earth, my earth

The smell of when we leave

We leave everything we know

The melons, the scorching sun, the boiling milk

My home, my country, my earth

Khodahafez, Khodahafez

May God protect you

Looking for more creative ways for your child to express themselves?

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