Have you ever heard of the strange house on Main Street? Inside that house lives a strange family. The family is strange because they do things differently. The other people on the street think the family is stupid and doesn’t belong on the street.

On the street, there are many people who do things perfectly and they do everything the same. If something goes wrong, they try to fix it and make it perfect again.

Like if they even have a stain on their shirt, they get threats of being kicked out of the neighborhood if they don’t change their shirt. They are obsessed with being perfect. But not the Strange family on Main Street.

The Strange family does fun and interesting things. Instead of eating plain pasta every day, they eat Fu-Fu*, yam, and spaghetti. They have six kids when all the other families only have one or two kids. They have so much fun and laugh big crazy laughs, while the neighbors don’t ever laugh.

But one day, one little girl from a perfect house looked at the family and their differences, and decided to be like them. She thought being perfect was impossible and boring. She asked the Strange family, “Can I be like you guys? You guys seem fun.” And the Strange family said, “Anyone can. You don’t have to ask us.”

And so, the street is now amazing because it’s not all the same. The lesson from the Strange family on Main Street is a story that teaches everyone that no one is perfect and it’s okay to be different.

*A traditional Nigerian food

This poem is published in The Light in My World, a compilation of original poetry written by young people ages 5 – 12 who stayed with their families in housing at Solid Ground’s Broadview Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing for women and children. The young authors who contributed to The Light in My World are not identified by their real names, and some details have been changed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of them and their families. The authors retain copyrights on their individual works.