*Excerpts from Mill City Papers Vol. II
(2011-2012)
St. Patrick’s day…
i’m ‘bout half Irish…
Spent the majority of the day the only white dude with 6/7 Puerto Rican dudes. One human race.
Up on Wilder street…
Ain’t no wilder scene
They mean i—it’s me
Prophecy—prophesy…
Jesus comin’ back an’ He gon’ drop the sky…
devils all gonna die
Stay with the Truth ‘cause i ain’t got to lie
Runnin’ the beat…
You wanna see Lowell?...
Go to the social security office…
A passionate embrace, kissin’ midway through the closed-in walkway on the Rourke bridge high above the Merrimack river ‘bout 9:30 pm. Cars passin’ by—the lights go through the tunnel like a midnight train on the move.
i’m not in love with the streets…
But i got love for the streets…
i see you out there—wish you nuttin’ but peace…
Feel me?
My senses adapt to the flashing lights and the sounds of the engines running…
i finish off the 22 ounce bottle of Bud Light…
It’s around 11:30 pm on Walker St. here in Lowell, MA. What’s going on?...
Well i left my girl’s house about 10:30—took a right going toward Broadway St. Saw smoke and small flames coming from a roof’s overhang above a second-story porch a few houses up…
Almost didn’t think twice ‘cause it was just the beginning kindling. Parked the car, started banging on the doors…
20/30 seconds later kid came out on the porch seeing pieces of the roof falling to the ground, smoke building…
i said “Yo you got a fire”…
He said “Aw shit, thank you.” He went and got a bucket of water and then threw it up at the roof and actually put the fire out. There was a kid with a cell phone walking down the street, so if i didn’t see the fire he would’ve called 911, ‘cause he was looking at it with concern before he even saw me…
This was after the kid came out and thanked me for banging on the doors. Fire and rescue trucks showed up—they blocked off Walker St. from Broadway to Pawtucket St. i walked from Walker to 4M’s on Broadway—seeing the ‘hood and those that live here on the way (some didn’t look too happy to see a stranger walking through their neighborhood)—i bought a beer (dude at the counter dropped it and i had to get another one)…
i walked back and a couple Asian dudes on Broadway showed love, sayin’ “what’s up man.” i turn on to Walker St. and walk right down the center of the street, almost hypnotized by the flashing ambulance, fire, and police lights. The residents are watching me. i get back to my girl’s house, open the beer, drink and watch the fire fighters work to make sure the house is structurally sound. My senses adapt to the flashing lights and sound of the fire engines running as i finish my beer. Now i sit here writing this…
It’s 11:52 pm—7/10/11.
Walkin’ into Eliot church Sunday morning talkin’ ‘bout black holes and if they’re for real. God is the Light at the end of the tunnel. i always wear a white rag on my head when i go to service. An African lady walkin’ up the street asked us if Eliot was our church. We said yes and she asked if it was good. We said yes and she said she knows it is, said the Lord woke her up at 2:30 in the morning with a vision of Eliot Church, said she saw people in white walking out of the church like soldiers. She said she was a Catholic missionary on her way to a church on Middlesex street. We said she should come to Eliot sometime ‘cause it’s a good church. She said she would and she knows it is ‘cause when the Lord shows her something she knows “it’s real”. i piped up and said “Right.” At this point she extended her hand to shake mine and as we were shaking hands she prayed a short prayer over me, in English, and then in either African or in tongues. She told me i would be healed and told me to be well. i said “you too”. Right before this, as we were pulling into the parking lot, i was talking about a dream i had the night before about how i was having opposition in the city while trying to get the movie i’m writing—“The Merrimack”—out to the public (which i haven’t even tried to do yet). The overall outcome was that a brother in Christ, whose older brother shared the same name as myself, who passed away some years ago, and whom i haven’t been in contact with for years, told me basically to be the soldier that i am…
Soldier for the Lord that is.
Seems like every time there’s a discussion about God, no matter who i’m with, people think God is about religion. i’m so sick’a this misconception, ‘cause if they only knew the Truth—that religion is man-made, but man is God-made—that God is above everything, and more powerful than anything, and that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus (“son” not in a human sense of the term) not to bring religion (which only causes division between sects), but to represent the Truth—that God is Love and Truth. Jesus the Christ (Messiah—our Saviour)—God in Man (Son of God, Son of Man)—spiritual Provider. My homeboy was tellin’ me how him and his boy gave some guy some Ramen noodles ‘cause he was hungry and told him “God bless”…
i said “that’s good lookin’ out, that’s love, that’s God right there.”