assumptions

 

so i'm out with my whiteboard haiku this morning in front of Hruska's kolaches on center street in provo. there's a good long line waiting to get into the squat little bakery for a bacon, egg, and cheese bun. my poem today reads:

 

"i want to breathe --

 so i can laugh --

and so i can cry."

 

nothing in the poem to suggest i'm suffering some kind of spiritual crisis, or indicate that -- in the middle of provo, utah, and clean-shaven and sober and not reeking of tobacco -- I am not a Church member.

yet out of the blue a young man comes up to me offering a blue back copy of The Book of Mormon. He asks hopefully: "Would you like to have a copy of this?"

since there is a five dollar bill clearly stuck in it, i take it and thank him politely. on the flyleaf is inscribed:

 

"This Book has helped me when I was down. It gave me peace, hope when nothing else would.  I know Jesus lives and loves you.

                                    Eric." 

it's depressing to think my appearance, and my attempt at sharing my work with the public, is misconstrued to the point where I'm considered nothing but a needy, non-member, panhandler.

to add insult to injury i was also given a 10 piece adult personal hygiene kit about an hour later.  it's enough to make the most zealous bard repeatedly hit themselves on the head with a thesaurus. 

on the bright side . . .

i made 16 dollars in cash and 15 dollars in venmo payments . . .