From Homeless to Celebrated Poet

Raimundo Arrunda Sobrinho wrote beautiful poetry, but for over 35 years no one knew about it.  That is because Raimundo was homeless.  He lived in Sao Paulo on a median between two busy streets, and called his home “The Island.”

Raimundo had once worked as a bookseller and gardener.  However, he had become homeless in the late 1980s, during the military dictatorship of Brazil.  Raimundo’s passion was writing, and he wrote poems and short stories every day.

One day, Raimundo met a young woman named Shalla Monteira.  He gave her one of her poems, and she was so moved by it that she decided to create a Facebook page to showcase his work.  Raimundo’s Facebook page attracted many followers, and people started to visit him at “The Island” to talk with him, and get to know him.

Then something unexpected happened.  Shalla received a message from Raimundo’s brother, who lived in another city.  He had lost contact with Raimundo decades ago, and had no idea where he was until Shalla created the Facebook page.  He invited Raimundo to come and live with his family.  Raimundo agreed.

Today, Raimundo lives with his brother and continues to write poetry.  His Facebook page has over 184,000 followers, and his poems have been published in a book.

What I love about this story is Raimundo’s dedication to his craft and his will to survive, despite living in dire and desperate circumstances for such a long time.

Oprah presented this story on her Super Soul Sunday show yesterday, and it actually made me cry.  You can watch the video here.