super-shorties

Air.
Because I have to breathe deeply now.
Because I can breathe deeply now.

Last week was hard.
Last week was insane, actually.

Metal barricades blocking the streets are supposed to make everyone feel safer because of “police presence”…
This, needed because of the increasing violence including a boy gunned down in front of our pre-school.
So the police are present.
The response: the people that have been doing the murdering in my school’s neighborhood thought “retaliation”
Fuck the police.
We’ll show them.
So three people are shot one block away from where the barricades are set up.

And my shorties…well, they just blow it off. Talk about it like it doesn’t get to them. And why should they let it? If they cried over every shooting; cared about every shooting, then they would be crying 24/7.

Hearing my own voice telling this story sounds disconnected to my actual self.

So Friday’s morning circle…they were to give me one word that described their neighborhood. One word that summed up their community..
Asaan: violence.
Kashai: terrible.
Tyrone: death


It went like that. And I took many deep breaths.
So then…we took it from there.
Our goal was to visualize the future for the community. Because, without seeing it and dreaming it, it won’t ever happen.
Right?

So they summoned their courage and visualized.
They drew pictures and discussed turning old buildings into Demond’s Mexican Restaurant with café tables outside (because people will feel safe doing that in the future)…Brooke is going to have a deli…
In their drawings there was no trash on the ground. The fluffy white clouds in the sky floated encouraging messages to the peaceful, loving community below.

So I took more deep breaths.
Breathe…
I am constantly amazed that, even in the face of pure evil and danger, the shorties can see the bright side.
When living in a war zone, the fatigue and stress are taxing…yet they can dream and hold on to what is in their hearts…

Breathe in their honesty.
Inhale their trust.

I hugged each of them dearly today when I saw them after a long worry-filled weekend.

And another hope-filled week begins…