Girl In The Park

Girl In The Park (Randyjw; March 28, 2022)

 

You walked over the hill

a moth drawn to the flame

again and again

in nature, each nature

following its will

 

A realization, still

that same meets same

Your friends trying to draw you away

(Oh, girl – would you just go?)

yet you still remained

Your parents and guardians

issuing dire warnings

(Ah, please, little one – this is getting out of hand)

There was nothing I could do, kid

except to tell you, thanks

 

What advice could I give you?

all they mean is to keep you safe

I could see jail time looming

for this seeming inappropriateness

but doing nothing

(things getting out of control)

and a side of my own medicine staring me smack-dab in the face?

Maybe you thought that party was boring

the formulaic gatherings

(Oh, G0d, girl – no…. not the homeless girl in the park)

Maybe your parents are too self-absorbed

to just chat with you and listen to

what you have to say

with their undivided attention

 

Maybe your sense of truth and justice

won’t win out, when trying to hear

another perspective

‘cuz it’ll be turned against you

due to your sweet and trusting nature –

I wonder,

were you born in December?

 

And maybe you’ll just never get it into your head

to realize that in the dark

there sometimes really are boogiemen

 

And despite what happens to you

you’ll still never learn

and you’ll have to get a bit scrappy

and wonder why this ever occurred

 

Look, kid,

I couldn’t tell you or intervene

This is a letter just to yourself

as well as it is to me

 

Nope, I wouldn’t kidnap or kill you

that’s just your parents’ overconcern

because to love and protect you

they’re overgeneralizing to help you learn

They do need to tell you specific scenarios

‘cuz you might not dream them yourself

It’s too bad that you’re not like your little friend

the sweet, but firm, diplomat

You were just being nice when you

came wandering over

to speak with me and voice your mind

In my dottering old age, anxiety and instinct kick in –

Hurry up and break out before they’ve gotten your soul

by breaking in

 

I can see you’ll need to break the grip

being good, pleasing others,

societal expectations, the inner conflict

Though I’m not a parent,

you know, I also, too, was a kid

you kindof haunt me

like my mirrored projections

and roads to hell being paved with good intentions

You’ll be hurting, and they’ll be hurting

(just remembering the sweet, kind smile

from the woman sitting in the corner)

 

Who needs a wonderwoman costume

It’s somebody else with its whistles and bells

Live life as you – express your truth

and trust what your heart has to tell

 

 

 

Hearts In Nature

Hearts In Nature (Randyjw; March 13, 2022)

 

 

 

Homeless Update

Homeless Update (Randyjw; March 10, 2022)

 

The government program that was rolled out to assist people in the U.S. with further grants to extend telephone capacity is, for the most part, not applicable to the homeless who, due to not living in a small, established household, and who, therefore, have no permanent address, might only be able to receive mail at a facility such as a soup kitchen, which will receive mail for numerous such individuals. However, since there are multiple registrants at such an address, these individuals cannot receive the ACP phone benefits, as it is limited to solely one offer per household.

 

I do receive a free phone, which is nice, and I’m thankful for that, but it must be used somewhat sparingly and judiciously. I receive food stamps, and a bus pass. You must register for all of these benefits and provide the proofs of eligibility they request, and the process can be somewhat arduous.

 

For instance, during recent months, there began to be problems with the mail service, again. I again had problems of my mail, containing my bus pass, going missing, and no satisfactory explanations (nor even attempts to provide any) as to the reasons why this was occurring. I was kind of stuck in place, and it is difficult to find electricity “in the wild” (I.e., outside). My food stamps were coming up for renewal, and I knew I would need another phone interview to complete the process. I had to guesstimate the approximate mailing date that would tell me of this requirement, so I phoned in to ask whether an interview was required, at that point. I was told, no. Having no bus pass and no charge to my phone quite often, and somebody having stolen a wagon I’d been given for my bags, I couldn’t now really walk the distance with about 60 pounds of stuff, in order to keep checking back with the soup kitchen. And, what about a phone charge? Can’t walk to the library like that, either, so I could get my phone charged.

 

In any case, I had several months of stress and anxiety trying to get this taken care of. My food stamps got denied, because of not doing the phone interview (because, it turns out, I really did need an interview — maybe it was bad timing on my part and slightly off/misjudged). I would be put on hold trying to get through to the food stamp people for three hours, but my phone battery would then die, and I’d have to go through this all over again: find an outlet, wait for my phone to charge up enough, call the next day, because, by then, doing all the former would waste a whole day, and by that time, their offices would be closed.

 

I find that most benefits given by our government always seem to tend to favor families in homes (even if those families don’t have to pay for those homes), sloughing off the more desperate of us down here at street level. Even newcomers or others, who’ve not paid one dime into our collective tax funds, such as money removed from our paychecks to supposedly fund our social security and unemployment kitties, seem to be better off than those who’ve worked and now find they’ve been worked out of their jobs, or who have fallen on hard times (work injuries, death of the family, etc….).

 

Thank you to good people who do help.

 

There’s a benefit in New York, tonight; I’ve mentioned it in my last post: Love Rocks NYC. Check it out. And… Thank you guys.

 

 

Love Rocks NYC 2022

Love Rocks NYC 2022 (Randyjw; March 4, 2022)

 

Rock show – March 10, 2022 at The Beacon Theatre, New York City – to benefit God’s Love We Deliver / (creating and delivering meals to those who have difficulties doing so for themselves). Keith Richards & The X-Pensive Winos; Ivan Neville; many more.

 

web-sourced, via: (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/keith-richards-x-pensive-winos-love-rocks-2022-lineup-1300224/)

 

Free live stream of the event – just sign up to get a link emailed to you:

(https://www.glwd.org/events/love-rocks-nyc-with-executive-producers-john-varvatos-greg-williamson-and-nicole-rechter/)

 

web-sourced, via:

(https://www.jambase.com/article/love-rocks-nyc-livestream-lineup-2022)

 

Thank you, so much, for this.

 

 

Happy Happy Always & Today

(https://youtu.be/8Dbg84JoHo0)

Happy Happy Always & Today (Randyjw; March 3, 2022)