This poem, by SAMO Youth Alumni, Leenoy Margalit, perfectly describes the experience of SAMO Youth.
It was read out at the 25 Years of SAMO Youth Celebrations
‘Samily’
it was the summer of chasing sunsets
and waking before sunrise
it was the summer of dancing
under a full moon
on a mountaintop
our laughter echoing against the cliffs
our singing always off key
we bond on
short sleep and long drives
over sore muscles
and shared stories and struggles and star signs
while we work, we talk everything
from astronomy to astrology
we can trace the same
constellations on our calluses
we may have different roots
but our branches
all point in the same direction
we are all seedlings
learning, and growing, and blossoming
it was the summer that strangers
became sisters and brothers
and as always
the land we love
these mountains,
these trees,
this sea,
our mother
By Leenoy Margalit
