Meet Lisa
Lisa considers herself the poetess in the skies. She’s been writing poems since she was in the 7th grade. A poem from high school, called Failure, was inspired by the thought of failing math class.
“Failure will temper your state or leave you with the bitter hate. Failure will darken your day, make you wish and dream. Failure will doom you, failure will gloom you.”
Nowadays, she’s writing more about her relationships. She attends open mic nights at Hollywood Tavern every Monday, and the owner there loves Noble Beast. It's a poem about closing the door with an ex-boyfriend. A former open mic night in Norristown, they throw pens at you when they like your poems. Lisa reports that many pens were thrown in her honor.
"Well, I've been writing poems since I was in seventh grade. I'm a poet that's in the sky."
When she’s not writing or performing poetry, Lisa spends a lot of time volunteering at the Philadelphia Furniture Bank. She greets every single person who walks through the door, and directs them to the appropriate place. She supports PFB staff with shopping, which means she walks through our showroom floor with clients who are choosing furniture for their new homes and helps keep track of the items each person chooses. Lisa also takes very good care of our Pop Up Shop, which is where non-furniture household items like candles and home décor are stored.
Before working at PFB, Lisa worked for the Sierra Group Academy as a receptionist. Lisa also graduated from the Sierra Group Academy, with a degree in computer technology. It’s clear that she takes a lot of pride in the work that she does, as she should. Her support at PFB is so greatly appreciated by our staff, and especially by the clients whose homes are furnished through PFB.
In her free time, Lisa likes visiting Florida. She visits her mom, sister and nephew and nieces when she’s able to visit. Her mom and grandparents also visit her frequently here in Philadelphia. Her apartment is on the third floor, and she loves that she’s high enough that people on the street can’t see inside her apartment. Plus, as Lisa puts it, the apartment “has a lot of space.”
Lisa also enjoys going on outings with other Pathways participants. During a recent trip to the Adventure Aquarium, Lisa declined touching stingrays but did take a lot of photos of the sharks and penguins to share with her mom. She especially likes working with Rana, our Health Services Navigator, as part of the SALT program.
We’re grateful to Lisa for her hard work at the Philadelphia Furniture Bank, and for sharing her work with us! She shared a copy of her poem Noble Beast with us, which you can read below.
