Meet: Charles
Charles is a Navy veteran who served 9 years in and out of deployments overseas. He entered as an engineer and ended up leaving due to PTSD. He has 10 kids which he loves very much and has sacrificed much for them. Charles is also an artist and poet. He can recite poems that he’s written off the cuff. When he was sharing his story he recited a poem that was almost 10 minutes long without any notes or missing a beat. In the painting, I wrote out some of his poems to make up his afro and painted over it. Unfortunately, Charles has cancer and has opted not to pursue chemotherapy. We don’t know exactly how much longer he has with us, but I know his legacy will live on in his children and poetry.
Painted by Scott Schaible
