IN YOUR OWN WORDS MY SWEET VALENTINE I crust from a distance Waiting to be seen I see you clearly Will you see me BY CHARLES SPRING DENVER VOICE VENDOR Every time I see you I have a small heart attack You make my body temperature rise I’m scared to talk to you Afraid of rejection When I have a bad day You make everything right But my love for you is always in secret I love looking at you Your eyes Your smile And Your butt I just don’t know what to say to you How to talk to you I want to hold you To kiss you Red, white and blue fade to grays covering cold ice. Winds of change follow. Harsh truths uncovered in the warmth of the real. Arising growth takes. SEASONS CHANGE, AGAIN Right here and right now. Verdant, a living, growing populace, forward yet fragile, shaking BY STEVE ANSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR like leaves turning with time. From green, yellows, browns, death approaches, white. Like sheets on old men covering shame and harmful intent. Theft and fraud. decision, he decided to show his artwork. Now that two of his art pieces have sold, he says that he wants to give some of the proceeds to Miriam’s Kitchen, a local organization that provides outreach to Jeff’s encampment, in recognition of how much they have helped him and his dogs. Jeff says that having his work recognized has always been DONATE YOUR CAR! a dream, because it would make him a successful artist by his metric. Now, someone has taken the time to recognize it. One by one, Jeff rattles off the stories behind his drawings as we sift through his stack of art, marveling at his work. “That’s Jennifer Aniston.” “That’s supposed to be on my walk. My spiritual walk.” “I love drawing lighthouses.” Lighthouses have a special meaning for Jeff. They symbolize hope, he says, because they keep people from crashing onto the rocks. As rocky as his life has been, art is the beacon guiding him to shore. Courtesy of Street Sense Media / INSP.ngo Your donation helps Denver VOICE succeed in its mission to provide individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty the chance towards a more stable life. Need to get rid of your car, truck, or motorcycle? Consider donating it to Denver VOICE. Call (855) 500-7433, or go to: careasy.org/nonprofit/denver-voice. February 2025 DENVER VOICE 11
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