Beautiful

by Jaiya John

POETRY CELEBRATING CHILDREN SEPARATED FROM ORIGINAL FAMILY. A valedictorian honoring her long lost biological family. A child reminiscing of life before the flood. A former child soldier chasing peace, chased by the ghosts of war. An adoptive youth’s loving plea to adoptive parents. A little girl’s tea party conversation with her favorite doll. These are among the many fictional voices of displaced children in Beautiful. . . . This poetry, written in the adult voice yet conveying child spirit, is inspired by displaced youth Jaiya John has worked with over a lifetime. The poetic scenarios inhabiting Beautiful are entry points for our union with the true heart of child separation from original family. . . . Beautiful is much more than a source of inspiration. Its words reveal the majesty and vulnerability of all children, especially those uprooted. Beautiful is an empowerment anthem for youth, a resource for those who love, care for, and work with these purposeful souls. Child light shines through these pages, asserting the demand of our young for their dignity, while portraying their limitless power to heal, grow, and flourish. . . . A poetic companion to Jaiya John’s Reflection Pond, Beautiful is the kind of treasure we polish repeatedly, its truth seeping into our compassion. Struggle and triumph. Solitude and belonging. A journey of sunflowers toward the sun of selfhood. In these pages we find Beauty born.

Genres: Poetry

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2008

About the author

Dr. Jaiya John was orphan-born on Ancient Puebloan lands in the high desert of New Mexico, and is an internationally recognized freedom worker, author, and poet. Jaiya is the founder of Soul Water Rising, a global rehumanizing mission to eradicate oppression that has donated thousands of Jaiya’s books in support of social healing, and offers grants and scholarships to displaced and vulnerable youth. He is the author of numerous books, including Fragrance After Rain, Daughter Drink This Water, and, Freedom: Medicine Words for your Brave Revolution. Jaiya writes, narrates, and produces the podcast, I Will Read for You: The Voice and Writings of Jaiya John, and is the founder of Freedom Project, a global initiative reviving traditional gathering and storytelling practices to fertilize social healing and liberation. He is a former professor of social psychology at Howard University, and has spoken to over a million people worldwide and audiences as large as several thousand. Jaiya is a former National Science Foundation fellow, and holds doctorate and master’s degrees in social psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a focus on intergroup and race relations. As an undergraduate, he attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and lived in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he studied Tibetan Holistic Medicine through independent research with Tibetan doctors and trekked to the base camp of Mt. Everest. His Indigenous soul dreams of frybread, sweetgrass, bamboo in the breeze, and turtle lakes whose poetry is peace.