Author: Narayan

Guerrilla Art: Eye See You

"We See You, and We Are Not Afraid" guerilla art by Lili Lopez

Guerrilla art against child abuse: “We See You, and We Are Not Afraid” by Lili Lopez (spray paint, permanent marker, and collage).

Lili made this artwork in support of her three younger sisters, who have been physically, sexually, and psychologically abused their whole lives– and still have to live with their worst abuser until they are at least 18 years old. The piece contains five portraits: the staring eyes of Lili, her three sisters, and me.

The artwork is a daily reminder to the children to be strong, unified, and protect their boundaries. It is also a message to their abusive mother that we are watching her. No matter how many lies she tells and how many things she gets away with, the five of us will always see the truth.

Lili and her sisters placed the piece in their mother’s apartment. It now hangs in the living room entranceway, directly opposite the front door.

UPDATE: After a lengthy struggle with Child Protective Services, we have become the children’s guardians. They now live with us, and this piece hangs in our dining room. 🙂

Art: Cosplay Gas Mask

For Halloween this year, Lili’s sister Deborah wanted an awesome gas mask to complete her “post-apocalyptic top hat gentleman” costume. Local stores had little to offer, so we decided to design our own mask from scratch.

Continue reading Art: Cosplay Gas Mask

‘Where My Dreams Sleep’

This is a poem I wrote in 2013 about my own experience of homelessness. It is also a personal response to Drew Dellinger’s wonderful poem “Hieroglyphic Stairway.” I have read my poem to Drew in person (he approves).

Click to show the poem text

“Where My Dreams Sleep”

I am a hieroglyphic stairway
you found me in the street

all I need
is your human touch
to lift me up

release my voice, my speech,
and the powers I keep

it’s 2:22 in the morning
and I’m awake
in the world of the now

cold consciousness encompasses
the cradle where my dreams sleep quietly
safe—suspended animation
hidden under blankets of time

spirited away from the
glare of midnight lights
and empty windows
the hard edges and violent angles
of street corners and sidewalks
stretching back into windy oblivion

peeling away the skin of the world I live in
the dark night, home of the homeless

in this moment
my dreams are a distant memory
my voice forgotten
as ancient tongues of hunger
speak their greeting

shivers split the cold air
that splinters into spiders
crawling climbing through my spine in to
anxiety

the exhaustion of a lifetime
of unresolved traumas
and new awarenesses birthing
embroiled in the wild flood
of these immediate demands

how to eat?
how to bathe?
where to sleep?

how to fight these frightening anxieties?
how to fight these frightening anxieties?

how to fight these frightening anxieties
to find a way of existing
in between the bleating
of these questions that need answering?

I am a hieroglyphic stairway
you found me in the street

I am an alien artifact from the future
dressed up in plaid flannel
and landed at your feet

a statue of a man reborn
from a picture taken
just after giving up everything
and just before awakening

I am the most willing student
the most motivated citizen
that you have ever seen

all I need
is your human touch
to lift me up

restore my vital energies

unleash my voice, my speech,
and the powers I keep

that I may see
these precious things
my hidden dreams
released.

True Stories: ‘Peter’

Once upon a time, in a strange little town in California, I served as a “street outreach liaison” working with homeless youth in parks, under bridges, across the railroad tracks, and everywhere in between. This is a true story of one of those experiences.

Continue reading True Stories: ‘Peter’