The subways, the metro..... seriously what a way to get around.
I hope you people can get a picture of how much shit I have to carry around. ->->->->->->->
Just looking at this mess of material that is my current life makes me cringe. There is no way to glamorize the situation. Like the bungees that hold my "office" together, I am strapped to my possessions and my shoulders are sore.
blah blah, I am traveling and sometimes it is tough.... rules of the road number 3: Expect to be uncomfortable at times..... perhaps the first rule.
Anywayyyysss........
The metro + a lot of shit + subway station gates + countless steps + insane amount of transfers + confusing signs + large amount of people + NYC attitude = Big City Hustle
Enough complaining.
The trains had it all. All the colors of this planet, colors of skins sure.... but colors of personality, character and culture is what I speak of. Any one who has ever ventured the center of the earth (NYC) knows what I mean. The jews, the homeless, the lovers, the tired, the business men/women, the want to be models, the hipsters, the yuppies, yuppies, the yuppies, the asians, the hard thug like, the broken dreams, the crazies, the beautiful, the mysterious, the loves of my life, smiling dying man, the vampires, the lost in time gypsy, the hip hop stars, and the continual infinite possibility of characters that is NY.... All to be witnessed while the rails rumble, and the stops come on suddenly..... we shift our balance together. It was single handedly the best people watching I have ever experienced, and worth my efforts to get on board. However next time I visit I hope I have less shit.
Untouched Poetry in the City.
Let's start with an estimated statistic. I think through the 5 days I spent in NYC, I must have written about 200+ poems for 200+ people. No joke. I wrote all 5 days I was there, so an average of 40+ poems a day, for 40+ strangers. Sweet. Through all those interactions, I met countless interesting people, and performed and wrote some really could poems. A lot that I took pictures of, and a lot that I did not. A lot of poems I did not like, or I thought were redundant as a result of a thought, or feeling I get stuck on, or as a result of my undeveloped vocabulary which I am working on. I think a lot of my redundancy comes from being intimidated with Jolene's lack of a spell check, combined with the comfort of computer typing. Regardless, it frustrates me from time to time, and I am working on ways to snap myself out of that repetitive nature and get back to finding space where I can originally create.
Something that is really cool is that more often then not these days, folks seem to enjoy giving me the liberty to write about whatever I feel like. Usually I expose my current internal observation, whether be an external, or internal observation of my experience I get the chance to really see what it is happening with me. Often I will be in thought about anything random, a memory, a daydream, a judgement, or just zoned out like a child lost in no thought.... it is cool, and I mostly prefer it to the general subjects of love, birthdays, girlfriend/boyfriend poems.... ect. Not that I can not get creative with the subjects to come up often, it is just harder to be creative when you write 15 poems about love in 3 hours and you know most people want to hear a general romantic outlook on the subject..... so sometimes I switch it up to point that it is so random I think they are confused....but I am the poet, I do what I want.... if even if I sacrifice a connection or better tip.
My first day writing which was Wednesday I did my research and found out that people see art right down the block from the art museum so I ventured over not sure what I would find. This was great as I got to explore the metro, as well as take my first stroll through central park. Central park, the part I saw is really as stunning as people say it is. Amidst the rocking and rolling of the concrete jungle, lays a park loosely but representing that of an actual forrest where people can frolic, play, and gather. My stroll was excellent, I saw many things, many beautiful things. Children laughing, lovers embracing, dogs behaving, a Shakespeare garden, and old lovers perhaps reliving the moment they first took a walk as lovers through this enchanted park. Awesome. So anyways, the art museum provided a enough traffic of people looking at the artist that post up outside that I did well the first day. Well enough to sustain me for the evening and the day until my art show on Thursday night.
Wednesday night I met up with Elliot a gentleman from New Zealand that was staying at the place I was. He was using AirBnb, which is an online forum where you can find houses to stay at for a cost cheaper then hotels. The house we stayed at was occupied by Joe, Margaret, and my buddy Bree. Bree and I met about 3 or 4 years back in Boulder Colorado. We met after a Bassnectar show. I remember the moment we met, it was after the show and my dear friend Jeremy and I were walking and I noticed a group of very cool looking kids, so I asked "hey bassnectar kids, can I bum a smoke?" An elf looking gentleman named T whom I stayed with in Chicago and mentioned in an earlier blog provided me with marlboro 27, and we chatted as we walked. We ended up on a porch right downtown and everyone chatted as I listened in my euphoric state. Bree was wearing tight gold pants, and she was beautiful. Everyone that was in the group was beautiful. That night was magic and I made friends with a group of younger kids that I knew were all going to be big in whatever they chose to do.
So Bree volunteered to host me, and on this night she was going to an indie rock show to see a band named Alt-J at the bowery ballroom. So super handsome Elliot and I took the subway from Brooklyn to meet Bree and her Ex-Lover, and my friend Aaron and there friends. Ignited with the magic of the city was entered the venue, made our plan and posted up at the front of the stage. I made friends with Charlie a sexy bartender and she provided me with heavy pours of my favorite tequila. The show started and this band provided beautifully composed melodic electronic rock that had me in a state of bliss that very well represented my current state of emotion in this magical city.
The show ended, and myself and Elliot decided we wanted to keep the party going. We hustled and bustled our way to a few different bars trying to find the right place, and that place for me was anywhere I could dance. We kinda found that place at a bar named "The Woods" in Brooklyn, and sure enough it was a gay bar, and sure enough the gay men loved me, and soon a handful of the women did as well. Bars stay open till 4 or 5 in the morning and time slipped through our fingers and soon I was back at home spinning from my first night out. I woke up 6 hours later feeling like a bag of shit that was being hit with a hammer.
I gathered myself quickly, grabbed a juice, a coconut water and went on a run. I ran, to the ghetto. The 5 points in the cities cause a lot of potential to get hit by a car, but I was feeling it. The hustle, the dark energy, the grime of this ghetto that I ran to, and I quickly, and I mean quickly ran through not realizing I was wearing a black bandanna I do not think anyone thought I was in a gang. Still these streets were so dirty, again straight grime. Shops selling god knows what, restaurants that were dirtier then my basement as a child.... which had a dirt floor. So I kept running, and the sweat came running with me. I danced my way through the rough crowd never stopping, and making my way all the way to the beginning of the bridge. I did a quick turn around and ran my skinny body all the way back through the ghetto. Nothing was going to stop me, but I had to get a quick view of the ghetto and the best way I knew how to do so was to run through it. People can smell insecurity and fear, when I run I have none of those so I knew I was as safe as I could ever feel in a dangerous part of human existence.... the ghetto.
I returned and found myself at one the thousands of deli's in town. Note: they call it a hero, not a sub. So I ordered a chicken cutlet hero thinking I was going to be getting a chicken parmesan sub, instead I got a piece of chicken with some american cheese on a hoagie roll.... whatever, I should of known this was a deli, not an italian sandwich shop. The sandwich sucked, but I was ready to get myself together for this art show I was a part of.
RAW ARTIST
I participated in a few RAW showcase earlier in the year and this summer in Boulder Colorado. The experience was amazing, and what RAW does is really great. They provide an art show for artist of all breeds to come and showcase their work for mere 20 tickets that you need to sell. The showcase is a party, unlike any other art exhibit you will ever go to. We are talking music, drinking, networking, painters, designers, fashion, photography, dance, poetry and so on... pretty much everything all together under one one roof for one night.
Sick.
So now it was my turn to take on Brooklyn. Upon arrival to set up I was met with ladies that knew what they were doing. Strong direct and business oriented. Organized is another way of describing them. The space was simple, cool, but simple. I have to say the venue in Boulder however is much more dynamic for what RAW does, but regardless it was not bad in anyway. I met the directors, they explained genuinely their excitement to have me, and that never gets old. I put stuff down and headed to find some fresh paper and some food before the show started. I was near downtown Brooklyn I believe and the are was stunning, and was a perfect representation of what I though of when I considered "nice areas" of Brooklyn. When I got to the paper store I was in heaven, they had so many options of colors and texture it was truly a dream come true. So I loaded up with 125 pieces of paper in 5 styes and told myself if I use all of these pieces I will have set a record for most poems written in a day. I proceeded to a thai restaurant for the best green curry I had ever had. Now paper locked, and full belly grooving I walked my way back to the show. I took a different route and again was in awe at how nice everything was. I wish I had more pictures for you but I was caught in the moment.
I arrived back at the venue "Little Field" to see the energy was buzzing. People were getting serious, as if it was their make it or break it moment.... and who knows it could of been either of those of none. I set up, got some water, received some nice complements about Jolene and checked out the other art. All was wonderful, especially the Lyssa Nowakowski whom had a stunning sense of style to go replicate her stunning eyes and figure, all finished off with an amazing project. On canvas the size of a large living room wall she painted a hungry looking velociraptor holding a large fork. On the other side she had an eloquent sitting chair from what looked like the 50's. She snapped photos of people in all kinds of form sitting in this chair. I had to partake. And I did so with a smoke in hand, and a dramatic look in form. She said I had amazing eyes, I humbly disregarded telling her everything about what I thought was amazing about her, but I kinda hinted at it when I wrote her a poem later on in the night.
At one point during the event I was asked to come on stage and speak a little about my project. A little nervous, but then remember how good I am in front of a crowd, I grabbed the microphone out of the hosts hand and told the crowd that I had to take this chance to say "WHERE'S BROOKLYN AT,WHERE'S BROOKLYN AT" a popular line once used by a Notorious rapper by the name of Biggie Smalls. I told a little about my project, and was asked to recite a poem. I told them one I have been working on. It goes something like this.
I once set a bridge on fire
So I swam to the other side
There, Everyone was disappointed
So I started to rebuild the bridge.
I worked hard
I was alone.
I finished the bridge
And went to the other side
Everyone had left
But I was not sad
Because while I had worked hard to rebuild
I came to understand
That the thing I needed
Was not those on the other side
Rather, my ability to build the bridge.
A work in progress, but something like that.
The rest of the show was great. I met Ina, my rockstar friends wife/ex-wife.... she is one of the top 5 Bulgarian artist of all time, a stunning older yet like I said STUNNING women. That combined with her peppy step, and bright eyes makes her a delight to be around. Bree and some her buddies came as well. Once the night was over, typical me felt the need to go out and celebrate the night. I was by myself and felt it would be a good time to explore on my own. So I did just that. It was okay. I did not want to be alone.... an issue I am still working on and will talk about more as I get deeper. So it is, I ended up drunk at a gayish bar drinking, talking, listening, thinking,dancing and flirting..... the usual form.... It ended with me passed out, wondering what was next and what I was doing in this city.
At one point during the event I was asked to come on stage and speak a little about my project. A little nervous, but then remember how good I am in front of a crowd, I grabbed the microphone out of the hosts hand and told the crowd that I had to take this chance to say "WHERE'S BROOKLYN AT,WHERE'S BROOKLYN AT" a popular line once used by a Notorious rapper by the name of Biggie Smalls. I told a little about my project, and was asked to recite a poem. I told them one I have been working on. It goes something like this.
I once set a bridge on fire
So I swam to the other side
There, Everyone was disappointed
So I started to rebuild the bridge.
I worked hard
I was alone.
I finished the bridge
And went to the other side
Everyone had left
But I was not sad
Because while I had worked hard to rebuild
I came to understand
That the thing I needed
Was not those on the other side
Rather, my ability to build the bridge.
A work in progress, but something like that.
The rest of the show was great. I met Ina, my rockstar friends wife/ex-wife.... she is one of the top 5 Bulgarian artist of all time, a stunning older yet like I said STUNNING women. That combined with her peppy step, and bright eyes makes her a delight to be around. Bree and some her buddies came as well. Once the night was over, typical me felt the need to go out and celebrate the night. I was by myself and felt it would be a good time to explore on my own. So I did just that. It was okay. I did not want to be alone.... an issue I am still working on and will talk about more as I get deeper. So it is, I ended up drunk at a gayish bar drinking, talking, listening, thinking,dancing and flirting..... the usual form.... It ended with me passed out, wondering what was next and what I was doing in this city.
