it was fine before

It was fine before

when laughter could be heard

booming down the streets

as the moonlight hit the metal slide

It was fine before

when tree trunks and benches were interchangeable

and everyone looked forward to

floor mummies and freeze tag after school.

But it is better now,

now that helmets are hard hats

and jumping to “work in progress” are the new monkey bars

or “keep out” really just means “try to climb over” for the wise 8 year olds.

It must be better now that pink chalk

runs across the sidewalk

skipping over cigarette butts

and bubble gum pavements.

It is certainly better now

with our hands frozen in place

conveniently placed for our noses to be buried

right into our phones.

We touch the water to feel something,

anything other than the metal in our hands.

And as we do, we think of all the things that must have been worse before and better now.

I look at the fresh tomatoes from our garden,

hidden amongst Almond Joys.

Cavities and tummy aches, is it really better now?

I look towards the life I lead

and the ones they left.

My parents gave away so much

for me to have something better.

I wanted my project to reflect a problem in my community: three parks within the same area were all destroyed at the same time only to be rebuilt. They are still “work(s) in progress,” which means that we don’t know how long it will be before the kids of the neighborhood get to play in the new park, or if they will even still be kids by that point. I wanted to focus on different textures in my pieces, whoch is why I included the photo of a girl touching water to be able to feel something that is not virtual. I also wanted to focus on the color red, which represents my cultural background and the bloodline that keeps us connected. Together, all of these photos allow me to reflect on change and in what situations it is a good thing. I also focused on change through the lens of who decides when it is time for change and what that power dynamics looks like. My family decided to leave their respective countries to find a better life for themselves and for their future families, who didn’t even exist yet. The government decjded that it was time for change for kids in neighborhoods where, although change was necessary, nothing was done to give kids the chance to be kids. Every one of three parks nearby were shut down simultaneously, reflecting the lack of empathy or the lack of knowlesge about how these kids would be affected.