27 –
“Do not work for the food that perishes,
But for the food that endures to Æternal Life,
Which the Son of Man will give to you...”
With the words of Christ resolute in Mind, Heart and Will
I made my first trip to NYC on the 5th day of May,
2012
Equipped with some clothes, a couple pairs of socks
And a Toshiba 505 Netbook that had the complete outline
Of what I fancied was to one day be
A Modern Classic Masterpiece of American Literature.
I had absolutely no intentions of finding a Day Job
For I was Independent -
A Ragamuffin with a Vision to Write,
And in due time,
Take it from there.
So there I was on the Plane,
Flying a Red-Eye from San Diego to NYC,
Seated at the window seat and looking out
Upon a rare and beautiful and huge Super Moon
And sensing everything was going precisely according to plan
- Which was simultaneously exciting and rather intriguing,
Seeing that as of that very moment, I had absolutely no plan whatsoever
Other than this -
ARRIVE IN MANHATTAN.
I had no idea what I was going to do once I got there.
I knew not a single soul in The City.
I did not have a place to stay.
However,
What I did know was that all would surely be discovered in due time,
Once I had
ARRIVED IN MANHATTAN.
When I stepped out into the bright light from the darkness
Of the subway tunnel,
At once,
The Colorful Chorus of Musical New York City
Hit me and hit me hard it did.
I stood there at the World Trade Center Station,
Staring up along the Skyscrapers,
Towering unto a sky of deep and gloomy gray.
The Freedom Tower was steadily approaching completion
While the ecosystem of a newly-discovered Energy Hub
Whirred with precedence about me.
Last thing I remember,
I was spinning around and looking to take it all in until I got dizzy,
Which is when I decided to race along with the day
Marveling with Exceeding Marvel
At the Neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City.
It was late in the afternoon when I had made it to Central Park South,
And collapsed upon a one of the large black Central Park Rocks.
I was exhausted and ready for rest.
And while overhearing a Tour-Guide explain
That the original Skyscrapers were erected of the very bedrock
Upon which they were standing,
I started really wondering as to just where exactly I was going to be sleeping
In a matter of hours.
Given the aforementioned information,
One ought be apt enough to deduce the outcome
Of the jaunt that was already beginning to unravel.
Sure enough,
Spring turned to Fall
As soon as Summer had successfully burned me out.
I was Ragged.
Torn and Frayed.
Busted and Bruised and Blue.
And to give you just a taste, along the way -
- I had flown over the handlebars of a bike twice, both times without a helmet, one time hitting my head on the asphalt and bleeding.
- I had awoken one night, covered with Giant Slugs, (Eww and yes, Giant Slugs, (Literally like 3 - 4 Incheres.))
- I showered regularly under the bridge that had become My Side of The Mountain
And no
I did
Not like
The View.
About a week prior to October 2012,
I took a Greyhound Bus back to California
With a Broken Heart,
Some odds and ends of change in my pocket,
And one banana for the long, Greyhound Drive.
But I figured I’d return Someday;
Shortly thereafter,
Someday came.
May 2013,
Nearly a year to the exact date
Of my original Commencement O Quest
I flew into JFK to kick off Round 2 with the small savings
Accumulated from working at the neighborhood Coffee Shop
Of my hometown.
I took the subway into a Hostel in Harlem
With plans of New Measure,
Tailored for a New Morning.
While I had not left the City with much to show for it,
I was now ready with 3 fresh pieces of Knowledge that were MONEY,
For the Return...
1. Know the Setting.
2. Know the Survival.
3. Know the Opportunity.
For the Setting, I quickly situated myself with a Locker at a storage facility -
A Cubby Room that is 5 X 5 X 5 and equipped with three shelves.
You can’t sleep there, but you can keep your stuff there,
And though it don’t always suit my Fancy,
It serves the Purpose;
Residence or not,
It's Property in the Heart of Manhattan.
Location, Location, Location.
For the Survival,
A Job.
I interviewed and was hired at Whole Foods Market, Bowery -
- Irony -
To drive around the city, climb flights of stairs and deliver groceries.
Survival enables Momentum.
For the Opportunity I was Open,
Because throughout NYC Round 1, I turned down far too many opportunities
That I felt strayed beyond the confines of my very narrow:
"I a Writer and Writin' the only thin’ I do," perspective.
Opportunity is Everywhere Always.
With that, here I am.
And everything was going smoothly -
Just in time for me to put my one-month notice in to Whole Foods Market
on November 1st, 2013,
And for the record,
Still love Whole Foods Market.
December came quick,
And with roughly $1,200 in the bank
A Credit Card Bill, a Phone Bill, and Gym Membership Bill to pay
I bandied about my next Line of Business
For the Colorful Chorus of Musical New York City,
Imagining it was just about High Time to Rock ‘N Roll.
BLONDYN.COM
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