eat it
Jacob Rosenblum
people today, they all walk around with their water bottles. Never in
my day," she quips. She died not too much later. Her time had clearly
passed, when water-drinking seemed like a transitory statement.
Folks at the hostel are suffering from ill health. Some of the
predictables: shitty eating habits, using drugs to dull the pain
and/or boredom of life, but a new twist: influenza. Retching at the
toilet, at the kitchen sink. 3 year old girl with a bronchitis cough.
So many young'uns, of all ages, and I want them to have enough arms to
gather them into a warm couch all cuddly, and a cup of tea, and a bowl
of miso. I don't give any of these things, really, but I listen. I
listen critically too, and I try to offer suggestions, that people
seem to genuinely listen to. Her daughter needs a healthy meal, that
doesn't mean highly processed beef soup from a can. And what *I*
"know" to be good for her is of very little use, while she nurses a
gatorade and eats saltines. And eats next-to-nothing.
And Raegen, our blessed child, the star of the action of where it's
all happenin', she's retching. She eats potato chips, and she eats
pizza, meanwhile her tummy hurts. And her face betrays the telltale
signs of mucous build-up. Affected, nasal speech, and a sniffle.
The mommys that come through here need some mama-care that they never
had, and never learned. And this time, I think, maybe this is enough
my problem too. Maybe this time, mother and 3-year-old child, plainly
focused on well-doing, maybe I will call a friend I know and see if
they can crash there for awhile. God knows this is not the best place
for them; there is not enough wisdom and nurturing here to mother the
mommys. She told me that she feels bad that she isn't contributing to
society, that she'd rather not be on welfare, that it's hard for the
government to pay for her to eek by.
Bullshit. War. There is *so much money* it's kind of ridiculous. I
tell her she is doing very important work raising her child. "Spending
time with my daughter, and giving her what she needs, doesn't count as
work," she counters. Hmmm.
Mike finally left today. After weeks and weeks. He was great. He once
went a week without drinking water, and 60 days without food, instead
relying on the spiritual plane to provide him with sustenance. He made
a documentary about it and seems perfectly healthy.
I just got onto the board of my neighborhood association, that's fun.
The bus had three successful days this weekend, and by successful I
mean the bus left Portland, got to Seattle, and came back to Portland
on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of this past weekend. Man, I was cool-
at Eli/Adrienne's engagement party, we brought the guests from the
party house back to their motel in the bus.
peace y'all,
jacob