My friend and artist, Leina Wann created a fabric art piece, entitled The Poppy Girl.* When I first saw her, she took my breath away.  First, because I saw a powerful, bold image and second because it is so different from Leina’s more recent pieces of art.  (Check out her work here.)  

I took a breath at that first look, and a sadness came over me.  I saw a lonely little girl facing an unknown world all by herself.  It reminded of my friend who came here from Taiwan with her sister when she was 15.  Her loving mother died and her father left to make a life in America.