TAMPA, Fla. — Nestled in the middle of Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa, Juan Lli Pedraza hovers over his 1950s Smith Corona typewriter.
The whimsical clicking of the keys is a stark contrast to the sounds heard around the community a week prior when Hurricane Milton made landfall.
"I think words are important during a time of need," Lli Pedraza said. "But action is also important."
Lli Pedraza focuses on both words and action as he writes poems for anyone who requests one. The only thing he asks for in return is donations for two different Tampa-area animal shelters.
"These moments of connection remind us we are part of a community and we’re not alone," Lli Pedraza said.
Lli Pedraza's day job is as an anti-money laundering analyst, but writing poetry is his true passion.
Several people, like Gabriella Benitez, approached the poet with requests. Lli Pedraza wrote a poem after Benitez's two cats, who she road out Hurricane Milton within her apartment.
"It really caught what I feel in my heart," Benitez said about the poem.
Benitez believes that Lli Pedraza's work is crucial after the recent storms.
"Acknowledgment of what we've been through is how we step forward," she said.