A HELPING HAND

A HELPING HAND.? Friday. May 17th.? 2024.? Provo. Utah.

We start with a quote from the Book of Mormon:

22 “And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.”

24 “And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.”

Today, my friends, was a day of beggars. We will get to them in their proper time and proper place.

But to begin . . .?

Amy was up at six to go to HotWorx and I was up to make my breakfast to take along while out in front of the kolache shop. This morning i made country fried potatoes, bratwurst, and a fried egg.? All of it put in a tupperware container and covered with Mexican pickled carrots and ketchup.? I never know if someone is going to give me a kolache while i’m at Hruska’s, so now i make my own meal to bring along – if i get a kolache i save it for my lunch. (i did get one this morning, so i’m having for lunch with a can of Van Camp’s pork & beans.)

I skipped my shower and a shave, but i did brush my teeth, and i was out the door by 6:45 a.m.? today’s haiku thus:

I will leave behind

Old postcards and past due bills –

But not one thin dime.

I got several favorable comments on my haiku, but only made eight bucks today.? I can usually count on closer to twenty. And earlier this week someone left a hundred dollar bill in my bowl.

The first beggar to amble by this morning I have nicknamed Cheerful Charlie. He never smiles and usually looks ready to stumble into an open tomb. He went through the crowd of kolache-eaters at the picnic tables the bakery provides, blowing cigarette smoke into people’s faces and asking for a dollar.? I decided to take a bathroom break while he was mooching.??

I set up my box of sidewalk chalk, with an encouraging little drawing of a smiley face and the word “DRAW!” next to it.

Along came a sister from our ward whom i have to say i don’t like – she usurps most of the time in fast and testimony meeting with meandering stories of her dysfunctional family – she’s always carrying a stuffed animal with her – and whenever she comes for a kolache she makes a sour face at my poem and tells me to my face she doesn’t like it.? Today, after giving my work the fish-eye, she started looking at all the chalk work on the sidewalk. I held up my box of chalk and invited her to draw something.? She did.? A lovely daisy chain. When she was done we smiled at each other, and i think a tenuous bond has been formed between us.? At least now i don’t wish her at the bottom of the caspian sea.

I packed up early because the sun was getting too hot and i forgot to bring along my sun screen. I stopped at fresh market for some binder folders, cuz i’m gonna print up some of my poems, put ‘em in the binders, and leave ‘em out on the picnic tables at the kolache place for people to peruse (and maybe order a poem from me.)? as i exited i ran across the last panhandler of the day.? I see her most days walking up and down Center Street. She wears backpacks in front and in back, and wraps thick woolen blankets with native american themes around herself – giving her the appearance of an ambulatory teepee. She asked me for spare change. I shook my head no and got about ten feet away when the spirit of King Benjamin’s address from the Book of Mormon roused me to action.? I returned to her and asked “Do you draw?”

She said she did. So I offered her a full set of sidewalk chalke (which had set me back five dollars) and told her if she drew something nice on the sidewalk where she was panhandling at fresh market she might make a few bucks.? I was completely sincere in my offer.

She did not take it well.

“No” she said firmly. “Get away from me.”

“But I’m giving these to you for free. I’m sure people would like to see your work and help you out a little” I replied.

“Get the f*ck away from me!? Get out of my body!” she screamed in my face.

I couldn’t help myself, I had to tell her: “Wow! I’m writing this up as soon as I get home.”

Her riposte was X-rated in the extreme.

But at least I’m sure now she won’t be bothering me for spare change again . . .?