Here's the recreated image you've made of me
In the heart of Old Town, Portland, Oregon, a vibrant archipelago of brightly colored tents forms an unexpected mountain range. Among them, Kaia Sand, a journalist, poet, and the executive director of the community newspaper Street Roots, ekes out a living.
Kaia's possessions, including a lime-green lava lamp and a cracked brown belt, are carefully arranged within her tent. Her quilted nest of clothes serves as her bed, and a half-empty garbage bag of belongings rests nearby. A chihuahua clings to her thighs, while a swaddled cat named Ghost was recently handed to her.
The scene is far from idyllic. Plastic bottles litter the pavement, and cars rush by on either side of the tents. Yet, Kaia's mood remains optimistic. Her poem expresses joy, hope, and smiles, with lines from Sinéad O'Connor's "The Wolf is Getting Married" woven throughout.
Despite the challenges, Kaia is resourceful. She charges her phone from fairy lights and warms the frozen hummingbird in her hands. When her tent was punctured during a move, she left a drawing of a rose as an apology.
Life on the streets is not easy. Kaia lost a half of a foot and a third of a leg to frostbite. She has also faced eviction, losing her housing voucher in a sweep. Yet, she is careful not to overstay, moving her camp to the river until 'it all blows over.'
Kaia's resilience is evident. She calls out a friendly "have a good weekend" from her tent, and her hands, though rain-slick and quivering, are cupped over a can of flames. When trouble arises, she knows Crow can fix it.
In the face of adversity, Kaia finds solace in her poetry. Her work is a testament to the human spirit, a reminder that we are all trying, that's the message to take home. As she wrote, "You wanted to be a cloud, so I turned you into a cloud" by drawing you that way.
Yet, Kaia's story is not unique. Recently evicted individuals are living in tents across Portland, struggling to make ends meet. It's a stark reminder that there is much work to be done to address homelessness in the city.
Despite the challenges, Kaia continues to fight for change. She is a beacon of hope for those living on the streets, using her unique perspectives to write about the people and issues in her city. Yet, in the face of adversity, she remains optimistic, a testament to the power of the human spirit.
- Kaia's tiny dwelling within the colored tents of Portland's Old Town is adorned with items that reflect her unique lifestyle, including a lime-green lava lamp and a cracked brown belt, also serving as a bed for her clothes, all amidst the chaos of food wrappers and plastic bottles.
- Amidst the city's fast-paced lifestyle, Kaia's companions - a chihuahua and a swaddled cat named Ghost - offer her comfort and warmth, symbolizing the importance of relationships in her extraordinary circumstance.
- Despite the constant travels in her makeshift home along the river's edge, Kaia never compromises on her passion for fashion-and-beauty, as evidenced by her creative apology drawing of a rose after a tent mishap, and even finds beauty in transforming humble objects like a can of flames into a symbol of hope.
