Learning To Walk Barefoot

Seywiaka

With the moon dark and cool, we milled sugar cane. Augustin said he’ll make me a dress if I bring him four heads of cotton. I told him I’d bring the cotton next year. We still have beans hanging, coffee to roast and I need to spin all the wool before it gets hard.

The river runs loud. Steam rises from the forest. A black and white cat takes a break from watching me and licks his fur. I look at the orange in my hand that I found on the ground. No one else is around to speak the languages I hear but yet to understand. Once, I heard a tree break apart and then I watched the branches fall. Trust was the hardest of trials while learning to walk barefoot.

First Weekend of Summer in New York City

It started with rain, which is unusual and ended with rain, which is even more unusual but all prevailed. Down the street from me Greenhorns were preparing for a farming to the people celebration. The roasting of a goat from Connecticut brought staff, volunteers and neighbors to the corner of Sackett and Henry Streets in Brooklyn despite the steady downpour. Amy and Jen from the local foods veteran,  Just Food, hit home with the message of sustainable, fair and local food for all.

With no promise of the rain letting up, I made my way down to Coney Island. Did you know I grew up on this southernmost tip of Brooklyn? Well, probably not and for me, going to Coney Island is just like driving past the neighborhood where you used to play on your next door neighbor’s lawn.

The mermaids, funksters and musicians were out in full swing. Thanks to waterproof makeup and the modern invention of plastic, all stayed dry, beautiful and open!

Sunday started off with a drizzle that couldn’t decide if it wanted to stop. In the meantime, musicians gathered to showcase their work at Dubspot, part of Make Music New York, a city wide music showcase on this first day of summer. Talented music maker and long time friend, Tom Phonic needed a little help keeping his drum machines dry but kept the crowd’s feet moving. Ignoring the thunder, Echa, a Seattle/New York hybrid native took control of the sound. The rain eventually forced all to happily relocate to Dan’s Dubspot cafe. Dan pioneered audio production education in New York City and is the founder of Funk Aid, a fundraiser to support AIDS prevention in children in Africa.  You can support Funk Aid by picking up the CD and meeting Dan and his dog, TJ at the Dubspot cafe at 348 W 14th St between 8/9 Avenues.