11photographs

last year

margo and i spent halloween

in chicago

with my cousin

and her children -

we had an absolute ball . . . 

late night
friday october 26
someone vandalized
my friend aimer’s restaurant
casa blanca
in cooper young
(the last time this happened was in the wake of 9/11
when the mural

at his previous restaurant morocco cafe

was defaced)
 
despite boards in place of windows
aimer remains open for business
greeting customers with a smile on his face
though tears in his eyes
 
he is thankful for his health
his family
& friends
and though being the target of a hate crime is painful
he does not wish to complain
he considers this a blessing
as the once hungry find it in their hearts

to do for those less fortunate
aimer holds love in his heart

for those who have done this
he says it is not for him to judge them
 
i urge everyone
including local businesses in the neighborhood

and community
to rally around this kind man in support
 
check out his menu:
i highly recommend the falafel hummus platter
baba ganoush
beef kifta kabob
lemonade
and

margo suggests the chocolate mousse

ive been ten thousand miles

in the mouth of a graveyard
and its a hard and its a hard

its a hard and its a hard
and its a hard rains a-gonna fall . . .

yesterday
i headed over to a cemetery
a peaceful place
to take photographs
& thinkpraymeditate as best i can
unable to slow my mind as of late

i was born
& i am going to die
n o w  is the time to live
i thought
and fully!

i want my joy to return
i want to let g0 of whateverthisdarknessis

the headstone

beneath the monument
read

scatter your flowers here
you can find no sweeter dust . . .

yesterday afternoon

as W was in town attending a $1000aplate dinner

my daughter and i joined a group of people

who had gathered

to peacefully express  d e m o c r a c y –

police officers threatened me with arrest

for pushing my daughter in her stroller

on the opposite side of the street of the protesters -

he said our sign was showing

and instructed me to turn it around-

i did - but it had the same message printed on the back-

yet i couldnt leave it behind he said

or hed arrest me for littering–

with no other way to conceal the sign

i was forced to cross the street

(mind you people could stay on that side of the street

*if* they had signs of support for W)

then while strolling down the sidewalk

had to momentarily step into the street

to clear the brush blocking our path

& immediately officers approached and threatened arrest

warning me to stay on the sidewalk-

it was strange serious and scary business

and all we were saying was

support our troops:

bring.them.home.now.

today

along a tennessee highway

i met your father -

he shared with me

his story of unendurable pain -

then he gave me a dollar

and your address

and asked that i send you a letter

with a photograph attached

so that you could see his face -

he wanted you to know he loves you…

wise

choices  . . .

today

i saw

11:11

think

it

over . . .

make me a bird

so i can fly far

far far away from here

or at least

give me

a 1959 fleetwood cadillac

to hit the road with . . .

so

i

may

f L y ~