Mr. John is our neighbor. Most times you can find him on his porch smoking a pipe, working New York Times crossword puzzles and listening to NPR. No matter the weather, he sits and engages in these, some of his favorite activities. He's a learned man having been an attorney and a college professor. He and his wife, Ms. Jean could tell us about the civil rights movement, politics, literature and gardening.
My family is thankful to be part of a diverse community in our 4 unit apartment with neighbors, including our landlord who can teach us about how people from all walks of life can live in harmony. It is enriching and refreshing. I find that Mr. John's presence in my life and my family's life is special because of our racial and cultural differences. I must admit that I didn't have many positive white male influences until adulthood. To be honest, I was afraid of being around white men because of stories I had heard from elder family members. My husband and I have positioned ourselves and our daughter to meet people who are different from us so we can learn new things and challenge ourselves to grow.
Much of the wisdom Mr. John gives comes in bursts of nuggets when I'm not looking for them. I always have to run upstairs and record the information in my journal. Sometimes though, he wants to talk much longer than I am able to listen.
Last night I left for an hour and came home around 10:30 which is past my bed time. He was concerned at the late hour of my being out, as of course a father figure would be. He told me that if I ever needed him to accompany me on a late night trip he'd be more than willing to go. "I'm more harmful than I look. I'm not just a bookworm. I was in the military, I drove tanks and jumped off cliffs."
All of this I did not know.
We chuckled about his not being a bookworm but then the conversation turned when I mentioned that I wished I had asked him to save any one of his newspapers which had featured Maya Angelou. He knew I wanted to meet her and he said "we need the poets. We need Dr. King and Rosa Parks but you need the poets to write the powerful words that help us make sense of the world."
I never thought of that before. Poets make sense of the word and write about it so that we can all understand. I find that when I am with other poets we encourage each other in ways that non creative or poetic people can push me. I imagine that poets when they come together create an unrehearsed Symphony in beautiful syncopation.
Today Scribes I want you to find a poet friend and write together. Use Mr. John's hat as inspiration.
Girl, Pray for Me.
PLJ
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