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Fort Greene

Denise Bell

1947–2021

Poem about Denise Bell 

I get up in the morning to see the beautiful view
Not alone but always with you
As I walk you to the grass you start smelling the air
I start greeting people because that’s how I show I care
Life gave me challenges
But as I got older I still had some faith
People call me sassy
People call me sweet
It all depends how you take my honesty
I was nice to others no matter who it was
With everything that was going on I had to spread my love
I write for you not for me
To you I’m gone but I’m actually at peace

Denise Bell was described in many ways but one that will always stick out is a hero. She is a Vietnam vet and took others to get help, and despite all the violence she saw, she stood strong and kept going. She was always an animal person and took care of all of them with so much love. She would wake up early to walk her pet dog Suzy and she would always greet people and say good morning and have conversations with them. I guess you can say she was also a people person because she loved talking to people and she was also a teacher and assistant principal at a school in the Bronx. Denise is also known for being a wonderful poet and people loved her work. One day her work will be shared with everyone around her neighborhood, not only her neighborhood but around the world. She will always be remembered and never forgotten, she is a one-of-a-kind hero.

Text by

Lainey Liriano

Lainey Liriano is a senior at Brooklyn Lab charter school. “I’ve been working with the community center trying to make a change and talk about how and what we need to do to better this community.”

Portrait by

Jocelyn Arem

Jocelyn Arem is a GRAMMY-nominated multimedia producer, and a soul/jazz singer under the name Rabasi Joss. She released her album “Heliotrope” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene and has produced archival storytelling for the BRIC podcast series ``Brooklyn, USA.``

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