Sonia Sanchez poem becomes ‘ballad’ for Camden

    I stumbled upon an abandoned house at the corner of Broadway and Ferry Avenues while on assignment in Camden Tuesday.

    As a Philly native, I noticed the words of “Ballad” by poet laureate Sonia Sanchez painted on the building.

    The image of the abandoned house represented a truth to me; that no matter one’s physical condition, beauty still exists within the intangible. The nature of graffiti is that it’s unavoidable —whomever is around, is forced to see it.

    Even in an area of urban decay, there’s a desire to express beauty.  Camden is not just a rundown city. It is full of people who matter and live to love everyday.

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    Read the full version of poet Sonia Sanchez’s “Ballad” that is painted on the building. 

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