Orphan
By Xexal, 19
I am the first-born child in my family
Meaning, my parents planned to have me
But were worried when I was born
Because an instruction manual
Didn’t follow after me from the womb…
They were forced to learn to love me
Like they were supposed to…
Meaning, they were as lost as I was
Without a mouth to talk and two legs to walk
I’m not saying that I didn’t have a good childhood
Up until when I started to cocoon into myself
To birth who I felt I wanted to be
It was smooth sailing
It was only after I took an Etch-a-Sketch to their final project
That was deemed as a job well done
See, I learned from kid Icarus
Not to fly too close to the sun
So I stopped going to church every Sunday
That maybe my parents would see my insubordination
As free will instead of rebellion
The unknown—
You always fear what you don’t understand
But there’s a choice that comes after
Fight or flight
Run back to the 3-story house you call a home
Or throw me a lifeline and trudge with me
Through my grit and grime
Maybe that Chrysler 300 can turn on a dime
But I can’t seem to get your time of day
‘Cause you see me walking down a long and lonesome road
But tell me to get off of it
To follow the yellow brick road to Jesus
And I’ll live in Emerald City with the Great and Powerful Oz
But these lies are locked like the boot of a car
For too many unpaid parking tickets
And maybe I don’t have a heart filled with courage
Or a head full of knowledge
So I’m left to the Wicked Witch
Of the path that I’m on right now
And it’s not like you can’t learn to love me
That’s not it, you did it before
But now it’s a little harder to love me
It’s… uncomfortable…
You see me as a rose in your garden
But don’t pick me ‘cause I come with a couple thorns on the side
As if to say the scars you left me with
Aren’t a signature from your own thorns
I mean I hate to break it to you
But sometimes you make me feel like an orphan
One in reverse order of natural adoptions
First you saw me, didn’t quite know how to love me
But knew deep down in your virgin hearts that I was yours to claim
And as time went on, you did love me
Like I came right from your womb
And as time went on, you had a serious loathing
For my unconformity to your portrait family picture
You grew distant… cold…
So I ran farther, hoping my trail would go cold, too
Every action has an equal but opposite reaction
I hope you’ve learned from my pain
Because no child should ever feel like an orphan
Recover Your Creative Genius Gala
/in Events, Public Events/by AfAAdminMark your calendars for Friday, June 9 from 6 to 9:30 PM! Art from Ashes has been blessed with a gala fundraiser thanks to Liz Kane of Centennial Peaks Hospital and Rourke Weaver of Red Rock Recovery Center.
The Recover Your Creative Genius gala fundraiser at the Grant Humphrey’s Mansion in Denver is all to honor AfA’s work in prevention and intervention of youth substance abuse! There will be wine and appetizers, a lavish 3-course meal, live music by AfA guest musicians Jon Shockness (kid astronaut) and Kayla Marque, fun games, and a brilliant keynote speech by Austin Eubanks, Columbine survivor and champion of his own personal recovery from substance abuse.
This fundraiser is special for AfA since so many of the youth and staff we work with have been affected by addiction. Substance abuse prevention is a documented result of AfA’s creative youth empowerment programs. To show the support and appreciation of the recovery community, Liz and Rourke have joined forces with Wesley Hooks of Sandstone Care to make this gala fundraiser a gift for our agency.
There are still 30 tickets available for individuals to purchase: $175 each or $250 for two. And we would LOVE it if we had a few more business sponsors purchase tables in support of our work in recovery at either the $1,000 / $2,000 or $5,000 sponsorship. For more information and to purchase tickets/sponsorships, select the orange “Register Here” button on the upper right side of this page: http://bit.ly/AfArecoverygala. We hope to see you there!
Sponsorship Levels
Awesome Bazaar
/in Events, First Friday Performance, Public Events/by AfAAdminAfA will have 20 vendors set up with the help of Ari Hunniford of Open Mind Oils. These vendors will sell art, essential oils, handmade goods, pet products and other items, with a portion of the proceeds donated to AfA!
In addition to the items for sale, each vendor will also donate a door prize. To win a prize, buy raffle tickets, place them in the containers in front of the items you like, and we will have a drawing for each one!
The Awesome Bazaar coincides with AfA’s amazing and inspiring monthly youth performances, which take place every First Friday. So stop by our office at 1310 West 10th Ave, shop the great items, and listen to some incredible poetry—what could be better? It will be a remarkable night and we look forward to seeing see you!
View our Facebook invite for a list of vendors here!
Yard Sale!
/in Events/by AfAAdminDo you want to ser
ve our lovely youth but don’t have enough time on your hands? Now is your chance! AfA is holding a Yard Sale fundraiser on Friday, June 2 from 4 PM to 7 PM, where we will sell your donated items to benefit our youth workshop programs.
We’re on the lookout for “pretty things,” such as small pieces of furniture, candles, decorative objects, and similar goods. All items should be in new or lightly used condition.
Swing by AfA at 1310 West 10th Avenue, Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM, before June 2 to drop off your donations! If you can’t donate right now, you can support our youth by stopping by and checking out the lovely items for sale. Stick around to hear our youth performances that begin at 6 PM. All proceeds from the Yard Sale will directly fund our free weekly drop-in workshop, which is a haven for many homeless and LGBTQ+ Denver youth.
Granted A Great Honor
/in News/by AfAAdminby Jessica Jarrard
In February, AfA applied for the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award and once again, we have been recognized as one of the top 50 youth arts organizations in the country. The NAHYP is a program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities™—in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services™—to showcase cultural excellence and enhance the availability of out-of-school arts and humanities programs to children and young people. Since AfA has consistently been recognized by this prestigious organization, we received a letter from the National Endowment for the Humanities encouraging us to apply for their Challenge Grant. After several conversations with the federal agency and over 100 hours of work on behalf of several members of the grant team, we applied for a two-year federal grant in May.
Thank you to the dedicated members of the AfA grant team, and many thanks to community sponsors, like SCFD, 2A, TGYS, and Arts in Society, who allow us to continue providing creative youth empowerment programs for the youth in our community!
Rachel Icolari, youth representative to the board, and Catherine O’Neill Thorn, executive director, accept the award from Denver Active 20-30 Children’s Foundation.
The awards reception was held at Ralph Schomp BMW!
2017 Mayor’s Youth Award
/in News/by AfAAdminRachel met the Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock during the awards ceremony and was recognized for numerous personal achievements. Way to go, Rachel!
Watch the Video! (at 43:06)
Orphan-Xexal
/in Creativity, Poems/by AfAAdminBy Xexal, 19
I am the first-born child in my family
Meaning, my parents planned to have me
But were worried when I was born
Because an instruction manual
Didn’t follow after me from the womb…
They were forced to learn to love me
Like they were supposed to…
Meaning, they were as lost as I was
Without a mouth to talk and two legs to walk
I’m not saying that I didn’t have a good childhood
Up until when I started to cocoon into myself
To birth who I felt I wanted to be
It was smooth sailing
It was only after I took an Etch-a-Sketch to their final project
That was deemed as a job well done
See, I learned from kid Icarus
Not to fly too close to the sun
So I stopped going to church every Sunday
That maybe my parents would see my insubordination
As free will instead of rebellion
The unknown—
You always fear what you don’t understand
But there’s a choice that comes after
Fight or flight
Run back to the 3-story house you call a home
Or throw me a lifeline and trudge with me
Through my grit and grime
Maybe that Chrysler 300 can turn on a dime
But I can’t seem to get your time of day
‘Cause you see me walking down a long and lonesome road
But tell me to get off of it
To follow the yellow brick road to Jesus
And I’ll live in Emerald City with the Great and Powerful Oz
But these lies are locked like the boot of a car
For too many unpaid parking tickets
And maybe I don’t have a heart filled with courage
Or a head full of knowledge
So I’m left to the Wicked Witch
Of the path that I’m on right now
And it’s not like you can’t learn to love me
That’s not it, you did it before
But now it’s a little harder to love me
It’s… uncomfortable…
You see me as a rose in your garden
But don’t pick me ‘cause I come with a couple thorns on the side
As if to say the scars you left me with
Aren’t a signature from your own thorns
I mean I hate to break it to you
But sometimes you make me feel like an orphan
One in reverse order of natural adoptions
First you saw me, didn’t quite know how to love me
But knew deep down in your virgin hearts that I was yours to claim
And as time went on, you did love me
Like I came right from your womb
And as time went on, you had a serious loathing
For my unconformity to your portrait family picture
You grew distant… cold…
So I ran farther, hoping my trail would go cold, too
Every action has an equal but opposite reaction
I hope you’ve learned from my pain
Because no child should ever feel like an orphan
Xexal: Warrior Poet
/in Creativity/by AfAAdminAfter being kicked out of her parent’s house for being transgender, Xexal had nowhere to go, and at 19, found herself at Urban Peak, Denver’s homeless youth shelter. A few of Xexal’s fellow Peak-mates had been coming to AfA’s weekly drop-in workshops. Curious, Xexal decided to check it out for herself.
“It was really cool to see there are free youth programs like this that let people vent their emotions.” She said she loves the structure of the curriculum and how the writing prompts offer topics and channels that access a writer’s creativity and allow for a safe space to express feelings.
No stranger to using writing as a tool, Xexal has been creating poetry since the age of 10, when she was being bullied by her peers in school. “I realized that my words had power,” she said, and through writing she was able to connect to her life instead of lashing out and “doing stupid things because I wasn’t feeling good.”
While things still aren’t perfect or always easy, she takes pride in the fact that she does not pressure herself with a specific path as to what life should look like. Rather, she focuses on being happy and cherishes the strong network of support through AfA.
Although Xexal has suffered from depression and even thoughts of suicide in some of her lowest times, she says that has changed. She now finds connection and hope through the workshops and the relationships she has formed at AfA. “I honestly consider myself a bit of a warrior, because I’ve been through a lot but I’m still here and kicking it.”
First Friday – May
/in Events, First Friday Performance/by AfAAdminRecurring Event (See all)
Much more than a public performance, youth gather at Art from Ashes at 4.30 for a FREE one-hour Phoenix Rising writing wordshop, followed at 5.30 by a FREE 45-minute performance workshop, featuring a local performance poet. All youth are welcome; pizza provided.
AfA facilitators and local artists/performers guide the youth through poetry writing prompts and spoken word presentations to prepare them for their community performances.
Contact MJ Smart, Director of Programs at Art from Ashes, for more information.
Introductory Adult Workshop
/in Adult Workshops, Workshops/by AfAAdminReigniting Your Creative Genius
The Phoenix Rising process is designed to allow participants to recognize their inherent creative power and how perception affects our identity and our reality. Art from Ashes uses the latest research in left-brain/right-brain functioning and the role of creativity in transformation to encourage participants to access the creative subconscious and the power available through artistic expression.
:: Saturdays from 11 am to 12.30 pm, April 22 – May 27 with Catherine O’Neill Thorn
$175 payment for the entire series of 6 one and a half hour workshops :: pay by check, cash, call us with credit card information, swipe or pay online with Paypal (below)
*You don’t need a Paypal account to pay through Paypal