Wisdom Speaking

On Friday I attended the funeral of a 9 year old girl, Arie. She was a fixture at Camp Freedom, our after school program in south Camden. I have gone back and forth this weekend about whether to share her words but I can’t stop reading them and marveling at their wisdom. Arie won 2nd place in a poetry contest with this poem 2 days before she was in the car accident that took her life. She didn’t have a seatbelt on. Her heart beats on in a 10 year old recipient…4 of her organs were donated. I didn’t know her personally, but I feel the pain of those who did.

Camden

Kids are crying, people are dying
see the world I’m living in.

People talking ghetto in the streets, and kids repeat
you see the world I’m living in.

Don’t even be a bystander because kids will think it’s cool
the bully is just a fool.

If you’re getting bullied don’t let him grind you in the dirt because he’s just a jerk.

He tries to hurt you because he’s been hurt but
deep inside he’s not a jerk.

He thinks that’s how things work.

Do you know who he is?
He’s Camden.

Camden wasn’t always a bully at first
until we started treating him like dirt.

That’s why he’s a bully but deep inside he’s not.
Now you see the world I’m living in.

God bless Arie, her family…and her friends at UrbanPromise who are hurting from the loss of her.