Holy Innocents' Alumnus Named Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate

Kenneth Jerome Buckner, an outstanding Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School graduate this year, has been named Atlanta’s first Youth Poet Laureate. Atlanta Word Works, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing writing and spoken word poetry to young people in Atlanta, made the award.

Part of the award, Buckner said, will the publication of a book of his own poetry. He expects to also do a few performances when he’s home from college next summer. Buckner is now a Posse Foundation Scholar at Syracuse University, where he is a dual major in Finance and Information Management & Technology, with a minor in Economics.

“I never expected this recognition,” Buckner said. “I started writing recently as a hobby, in the fall of last year.”

The young poet gained some visibility last July, however, in the 18th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival at Emory University, produced by the nonprofit Youth Speaks. He helped to represent Team Atlanta, which placed second out of 60 teams nationally.

“Healing” by Kenny Buckner

A Band-Aid is not the solution to fixing all the wounds.

What do you do when it falls off in the shower of your tears?

We spend so much time mistaking the droplets from our eyes

For the droplets from the rain.

It’s easy to confuse God’s storm cloud with our own.

Healing is sitting in your pain,

Knowing that one day you can stand up and walk away from it.

Healing is choosing not to place your pain six feet deep.

A casket only gives you an excuse

To revisit your hurt on the loneliest days.

When you wake up, call it your resurrection.

You have risen up from the ashes.