A Homeless Teen Night Shares His Poetic Thoughts

Christopher Feaster is a graduating senior at the Hospitality High School of Washington, D.C., who currently lives at the D.C. General Hospital Homeless Shelter. Every Wednesday night, Feaster attends the Teen Night program that is hosted by a non-profit organization called the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project (HCPP) who offers child development programs in several homeless shelters.

Besides being a ‘big brother mentor’ to the other younger teens, Feaster receives with his homework and study tips to maintain his ‘A’ grade point average. He also attends HCPP’s tutoring sessions every Monday, where he receives one-on-one tutoring and help with school projects. His diligence led him into receiving the full tuition academic scholarship to Michigan State University. He will study hospitality business in hopes of owning his own chain of hotels called the Black Phoenix.

“When I was told that I got the full scholarship, all I could do at that moment was cry,” Feaster said.

Feaster is proud to say he will be the first in this family to graduate college.

“You don’t hear about a lot of young, African-American males who were raised in a single-mother household from D.C. getting a four year, full ride to Michigan State based off of academics, but I was able to do that,” Feaster said.

In his leisure time, he enjoys writes poems as a form of release. With all the hardships of being homeless, he says the best way to relieve his frustrations is through poetry.

“I am a poet so whenever I get emotional, I’ll pull out a piece of paper, listen to my specific playlist of songs and I would just write out my feelings,” Feaster said.

Feaster shares his poem “A Flower of Thorns” above.