Art is the stored honey of the human soul, gathered on wings of misery and travail.
-Theodore Dreiser

I'm really not too good at talkin', but I'll try I guess. Ain't really all that much to my life anyway. I got sent to live with my granddad when I was 4 after my parents died. He didn't really want me around, but they didn't have no place else for me. He was my only relative. So when he got me, to keep me from gettin' in his hair, he locked me in my room. Guess everyone kinda forgot about me then cause I didn't hear from no one even when I was supposed to start school. He made sure I had everything I needed, I didn't lack nothin'. Three squares, clothes and all that. Only thing he ever gave me to entertain me though was paper and stuff to color with. I liked that though, I got good at it.

It was a couple years ago that things changed. Went three days without anything at all from my granddad. I didn't know what to do, I was locked up and there wasn't no window or anything. But I was gettin' real hungry and so I figured I had to do somethin' to find out what was goin' on. So I got some wire from the springs of my mattress and started tryin' to work on the lock of my door. Took me awhile to figure it all out, but I finally got it. And when I went into the other room, well.. besides it bein' weird to see it all since I hadn't seen it really much at all before.. there was nothin' there. I mean nothin'. No furniture, no granddad, nothin'. I was all alone. Guess he decided to move and didn't wanna mess with takin' me. So I started livin' there alone. Guess he didn't put it up for sale or nothin', cause nobody ever came lookin'. And someone always came to mow the lawn and all. I don't know what went on. I just hid when the person mowing came and stuff.

Finally one day I didn't have no choice but to meet someone. There was some real loud noise from outside, sounded like fightin'. So I hid. But it didn't go away. It actually got closer. So close that it came in the house. I was never so scared in my life. But the fightin' in the house didn't last long. Just people hidin' there from people lookin' for 'em. I tried to wait 'em out, but they wouldn't leave. And where I was, I wasn't close to the bathroom. And it got so I didn't have no choice but to go. So I tried to sneak and found out I wasn't so good at that. Though I got better over time. And it was a good thing I got found out, cause I met the Araņas then. They were hidin' from some other gang members that were tryin' to kill 'em. They were real nice to me, though. And when they found out about my life, they invited me to join up. I was just 11, but they said I'd fit in real well. So I said yes. I was happy just to have someone want me around for the first time ever. That was three years ago. And they're still such a great family, especially since Las Panteras joined together with us. I don't talk or socialize much though. I just never got the knack of talkin' to people much. Just ain't my thing. I usually draw somethin' when someone wants to talk. And I got into paintin' too. Graffiti and all. I really like that. I like to make big pictures. I guess that's really all I got to say about my life, ain't much else to it. Kinda borin', I know. I ain't had it very excitin' like the others, but I ain't complainin'. I'm just glad to be here and cared about. I think everyone needs that.

We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda, it is a form of truth.
-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
-Albert Schweitzer