Angela Deibler

A Summer of Mercy

Turquoise drops glimmer in the sun

As we splash and make waves every day until one

Sun block and ice cream at Huntington Park

Tell the world that summer has begun

Sneakers hit pavement, the ball hits the rim

Friends erupt in celebration as it sinks in

Pats on the back, smiles and cheers

Friendship like this is what makes one truly win

Beacons of light illuminate our town

Like fireflies at midnight that abound

There is mercy all around if you take the time to look

Open your eyes and see this city’s crowns

These are the glories they would never show

Of our community, with a high for every low

Compassion prevails amidst the chaos

A summer of mercy leaves us all aglow

For this project, I interviewed a staff member of Mercy Neighborhood Ministries who

directs the adult day program. She has lived in Nicetown for all 46 years of her life. In the

interview, she highlighted both strengths and challenges of the community. She stated she has

many vivid positive memories from her experiences, such as swimming in the community pool

at Huntington Park every day at noon in the summer. Additionally, she mentioned how Mercy

Neighborhood Ministries serves as a safe haven for children in the community that allows them

to run freely and explore interests in a spacious yet safe area. However, she also mentioned that

Mercy is not a very well-known resource in the community. Thus, it is currently more like a

hidden gem in the community.

She mentioned that there are various other positive resources in the community such as

rental assistance programs, boys & girls clubs, and Temple stress testing. However, gun violence

also plagues the community, and she stated this problem has worsened over the years. She is

especially concerned because there are many children in the community. For my project, I

decided to write a poem capturing a summer in this community. I wanted to highlight the many

beautiful and positive aspects of the community that news channels would never show in favor

of perpetuating such communities solely as hubs of despair.