It was an intimate glimpse to what community might look like, a community where everyone was fully present. We also read my previous post where I introduced this project and talked about why I saw this project as a powerful experience in my own life. I asked them if they agreed with my perceptions of how I thought they had received the project, and if it truly meant something to them. In many ways, they were astounded that someone would take the time to write highly of them, and genuinely thanked me for the gesture.

Surprisingly, the most moving part of our reflection time came when we read the poems made by my three daughters. A few weeks earlier my middle daughter, Angel, had come along with me to the Street School and assisted me with the graffiti projects. She noticed the creative energy that the street kids had for the projects and the powerful poems they were writing, and couldn’t help but want to join them. She’s watched me create various graffiti pieces and joined in guiding the students in spray can usage, shading elements, and more. As we left that day, she begged to be a part of the experience, and wanted her sisters to join her. All of sudden, the projects at the Denver Street School had become a family affair.

That weekend my three daughters and an additional family member created their own graffiti projects. Angel’s graffiti project is pictured at the beginning of this post. Just as we had done with the students, the girls sat down and took the time to write reflective poems that allowed a peek into their souls. These poems for them, as with the students, would be a lasting reminder of this particular time in their lives.

Perhaps it was the age of my daughters, or their utter honesty… for whatever reason, our most powerful time of reflection came with the Street School students came while we read these poems. These poems invited the students to shed tears, contemplate pain, and redefine what it meant to be “real.” What came of our time together was truly “Good News.”

Enjoy the poems by my daughters and look for more posts on conversations at the Denver Street School.

Jessica:
I am God’s child made in God’s image
I wonder when God will come
I hear my angel speaking to me
I see heaven
I want to have a life devoted to God
I am God’s child made in God’s image

I pretend that my parent’s divorce to me isn’t a big deal
I feel God is constantly calling me
I touch the Lord’s gentle hands
I worry that my new family won’t work out
I cry when I think about all my broken families that didn’t work out
I am God’s child made in God’s image

I understand that there really is a God
I say that there is a chance for everyone to go to heaven one day
I dream about heaven
I try my best when I can
I hope I grow to have a meaningful life
I know that I’m strong inside no matter what happens
I am God’s child made in God’s image
I am eleven
I am Jessica

Angel:
I am mean but sweet inside
I wonder how the world will change
I hear my destiny calling
I see the world cupped in my hands
I want all the wonders to be answers
I am mean but sweet inside

I pretend to be magical
I feel like I can touch everyone’s spirit
I touch the Lord’s hand
I worry that my sister will never come back
I cry when my parents get in fights
I am mean but sweet inside

I understand why my baby sister had to leave me
I say I can
I dream I’ll see the Lord one day
I try not to talk back
I hope for peace
I am mean but sweet inside
I am ten
I am Angel

Myah:
I am loveable and weird
I wonder why the world is here
I hear the Lord speaking
I see my wonderful family
I want the world to be peaceful
I am loveable and weird

I pretend that I never cry
I feel that I can do whatever I want
I touch my spirit
I worry that one day that I won’t believe in the Lord
I cry over my family
I am loveable and weird

I understand that one day I will die
I say I can do it
I dream my family was never broken
I try to try hard on everything
I hope that one day I will reach my dream
I am loveable and weird
I am nine
I am Myah

Click on the following link for another story on It's A Family Affair.

Sam Trujillo
thanks God for his handicaps,
for through them,
he has found
himself,
his work,
and his God.