On November 5th, Belen Mendoza Cortes from Woodburn Wellness, Business, and Sports school read her poem, “The Room at the End of Apartment 20,” alongside nine other WITS anthology contributors at the 2022 Portland Book Festival.
Nearly 200 students, educators, family members, and festival attendees gathered at the Portland Parks Foundation Stage for the launch of the 2021-22 Writers in the Schools anthology, To the End, Through the Tunnel, which is named after a line from Belen’s poem.
Read Belen’s poem in full here, and hear an excerpt from her piece below.
The Room at the End of Apartment 20 Belen Mendoza Cortes To get to the end you must go through the tunnel Through the halls that hold comfort yet anguish Passed the doors that open forgotten memories The room at the end of apartment 20 holds everything that I am And Have been It is Filled with the many hugs The many bendiciones and prayers near my collection of rosaries gathered from the visitors and visits The many goodnights I whispered to my roommate in which I played my corridos tumbados playlist which she pretended not to like but I would still catch her red handed humming the lyrics The many 143 from my mother slash best friend and the response of every I love you too The 10 year worn out blanket in the corner that I find warmth in every night The growing bookshelf that I hope to one day fill with newly discovered knowledge yet filled with random and necessary objects The mirror with the broken border that reminds me every day of my features which creates a variation of feelings each and every single time The room at the end of apartment 20 It is Everything I am fearful and ashamed of The bed in which I laid starting at the ceiling as revelations came to light The pillows no longer dry soaked with remorse The hope of a future certificate hanging above my bed The room at the end of apartment 20 Is not all I will ever be
