This time the unavoidable will just be the artform.
16 years old, dumb as all hell, and what do I do? Grab the car my mom wouldn't drive for a year and took off. Three states that first day and boom—ATL, baby. Life on the street. On my own with no experience, no skills, no plan, and I didn't just scrape by. I survived; hell, I thrived. Printing lame poetry I wrote online right there at the UofGA to sell to passersby. Clean up for the pizza place before close secured my food, then I run the streets, act like I'd always been there. Fit in, blend—man, this was easy. Yeah, skinny redneck geek in the hood in ATL, 1997, never been seen before, but I was "blending." Ha. What I did do was present someone that knew not to disrespect anyone. Conversations are easy when you can listen and then not shut up when no one else speaks. And my ace up my sleeve: never speak to something you don't know for facts, inside and out. Music? Yeah, I don't know, I like it though. History? I don't know, sounds interesting. African American politics, jokes, inside info, gang signals, lingo, etc.? Shit, no clue, but I can understand or I never saw shit. Whichever, right? That summer, I had no idea that I was starting the cycle that would define my life's travels.
The cycle, the lessons
Another year passes and I'm gone again. 17 on a bus headed from home to never again know what to apply that title to correctly. Alabama a memory before I hit the Mississippi line and the self fullfilling prophecy is off to finally land his life in New Orleans like his dreams since 10 years old told him he would. There was only adventure. Ever sight every night would be a new story and even wilder events that couldn't be captured in any book or movie. This was just gonna be the beginning of an insane Odyssey that would define me and the universes knowledge of what I was. I was sure of it.....3 months later still had only ridden through the city on the bus and never made it back. WTF that wouldn't do. I belonged there and low and behold finally it happened. I got my girlfriend pregnant, 9-11 happened and then there I was, Fort Knox Kentucky???? fucking overshot that mission by a few states. first time I spent any hours there in The Big Easy was after getting married, shipping off and for christmas getting a 2 week exodus to come home?? and it was everything i wanted for my whole life...only..everyone wanted bourbon street? tourists bullshit? no we need back alleys, roof top meet ups, the esoteric underworld that never goes to Bourbon. who didn't know that but still i trudged on looking longingly down each side road through gates to any courtyard knowing there was so much there and we saw none that night.