Arupa Freeman died December 23, 2019. Led by her husband Bob, we kept the H.O.M.E Van food pantry going at their house until his sudden death May 31, 2020. Without Arupa or Bob or their house, which was H.O.M.E. Van Central, the few remaining volunteers – Marie, Reggie, Pat, Liz, Shmal – were unable to continue the work. Bob told me that Arupa had asked that I be her “literary executor.” I will be going through her writings in the next few months and filling this page with her journals and poetry about the people and work she loved.
Jasmine Days and Nights
getting up when the sun rises
going to sleep late,
taking a shower every weekday afternoon,
going to one soup kitchen for dinner, another for lunch,
waiting for the library to open,
being outside,
living in the woods during wildfire season,
walking from one end of town to the another
when it’s ninety degrees or thirty degrees or pouring rain,
being woken up at four in the morning and told to “move on.”
working full-time for minimum wage,
never having enough for first, last and cleaning deposit,
lying on the banks of Sweetwater Branch
breathing the gentle, jasmine-scented air,
watching the stars come out.
Arupa Chiarini (from her 1999 play, Homeless in Gainesville)
Sweetwater Branch -image from gainesvillecreeks.org