I know one sparky kid who may find a way out of drive-by poverty

I WANT to tell you about drive-by poverty. It’s a new solution to the problem of poverty, a way of hiding it away so it doesn’t become visible. That way, you see, we don’t have to worry about it.

But first I want to tell you about Brian. He was ‘an accident’. When he was born, the fourth in his family, the youngest of his older brothers was 16. And already, that older brother was in trouble with the law. Brian’s father was a real tough guy who is serving time right now. His mother dealt with depression by drinking and she became more and more distant from Brian as he grew up.

In fact, he has only one memory of his mother. He found her dead in her bed, with deep cuts in her wrists and blood everywhere. It was Brian who had to call for help, but not before he had shouted and cursed at his mother in an attempt to wake her up.