My Love Letter to L.A.
My city, born and bred
My city, born and bred,
I love your sun,
your shimmer
your Mexico-sprung Palm Trees
your neon heartbeat
constant, bold, fierce
you called to my father
straight outta the war
you called to my mother
straight outta the Middle East
they stayed
they met
they made me
you, L.A. are as much me
as I am
i see beauty in the cracks of your sidewalks,
in the graffiti that shouts stories
but some stories just won’t do
like the graffiti off the Cahuenga Pass that reads,
BAD LUCKi don’t like it
not one bit
so I climbed the highway sign
in the middle of the night
and changed
the Bto an Rit was easy
i just painted over a tiny portion of the bottom right of the Band voilà!RAD LUCKback to you
the you of you
is still in the air, (in the figurative air)
your skies blush dusk
a kaleidoscope of dreams!
a creative hub!
songwriters spun threads of a generation
their melodies etched into the canyons
filmmakers - film buffs
surf punks
food trucks
you hold all versions of me
the curious kid
the questioning artist
the wide-eyed wanderer
i love the way your mornings feel like possibility
the kind of possibility that makes me grab a pen
a brush
a heart
a friend
a vision
a reason
a hand
a poppy
a puppy
a mic
a Stan
a stand
a comet
a camera
a hat
a cat
a cousin
a twinkie
a firefly
and even your flaws
your smoggy skies
and packed freeways
are pieces of you
just as my flaws
are pieces of me
you remind me that nothing,
not even a city,
has to be perfect to be worthy
of love
you remind me that nothing,
not even destruction,
can dim
your light
thank you, Los Angeles, for your rhythm,
your chaos,
your poetry in the mundane
thank you, Los Angeles, for teaching me
to chase the WOW in everything
and don’t worry,
we know you’re strength.
we know
you can get through anything.
which, of course, means,
your Los Angelenos
can too
i am forever inspired by you, my beautiful L.A.
XO,
annie
On the evening of January 8th, we evacuated from the Sunset Fire. We only had to spend one night away. We returned to our home. We have our home. Many of my friends are not so fortunate.
Please support if you can and/or share the links with others. If you post on social media, please make sure to write that you trust the source.
Deb & Goli
The Wilson Family
Phil Abrahms and Family
Chayse
Here are some more ways you can help people in need.
Donate to the Red Cross
The American Red Cross is on the ground supporting Southern California residents, the organization said on Wednesday. The Red Cross is working to provide safe shelter, food, emotional support and health services to those affected by the fires. Learn more about how the American Red Cross is providing help amid the wildfires here.
To support Red Cross Disaster Relief with a donation, you can visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The donation, the organization says, will help them prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters.
Donate to United Way of Greater Los Angeles
United Way focuses on longer-term recovery efforts to support members of the community, and the group said it is working with its community partners to assess the impact on the ground in the Los Angeles area. You can donate to support United Way's efforts here.
Donate to Emergency Network Los Angeles
Emergency Network Los Angeles, Inc., provides assistance to people affected by disasters. ENLA is a legally registered 501(c)(3) funded by grants, member dues and donations. Find more information and how to donate here.
Give to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is working with government agencies, nonprofit and faith-based partners and others to respond to the fires throughout Los Angeles County. They are accepting food donations between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at its two distribution centers: 1734 East 41st Street, Los Angeles, California 90058, and 2300 Pellissier Place, Industry, California 90601.
I painted “Resilient L.A.” during the first week of the fires. Abandoning the piece midway on the night, we had to evacuate. I gratefully came back home and completed it. Half the proceeds of the sale of this piece will go to my friends who lost their homes in the fires.
See more images and learn more about “Resilient L.A.” here.
