After having switched formats to a poem in 2012, Grace Asylum revisited their opening trilogy and brought back the story of one of the main characters. Kevin Gibson was the bum that lived under the gazebo and was left a present from his daughter on Christmas day. “Christmas Streets” looks at the busy main street that Kevin has visited every year since he has been on the street. He watches as the people he sees all through the year act differently and focus more on being with each other. This year his perspective has changed as he starts to see that his daughter has forgiven him.
A passage from the ending of the story:
“Sitting there, on this night, Kevin’s world has changed. Where an empty chasm once stood, now shines a very tiny light. The shadows that darkened and the decay that ruled now must contend with this glimmer of light. The beginning of hope. From a very selfless act and a worn tattered present, over a decade of darkness begins to become less black. Despair is replaced with the beginnings of wonder. These are the baby steps of hope. A child who spent all her life wondering what made her dad leave, struggling with guilt, carrying the burden of a destroyed family, finds the dad who left her. And instead of venting, instead of seeing revenge, instead of biting back she chooses to reach out. So let’s take something from this child. Let’s reach out to those around us. Invest in their lives. We are all in this together. Let’s go into our world and make it a better place. Let’s help our brother. Let’s help our neighbor”.