Ninety days on the road
On day 90 of crossing America barefoot I travelled from Gretna FL to Chattahoochee FL...
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I don’t even know what to say. I’ve been out here for three months. It breaks my brain a little to think about time in relation to this journey. Sometimes I feel stronger than I’ve ever been. Other times my body doesn’t feel like a body almost more like a bag of wooden blocks. Slowly I am working to become more of a piece of earth rather than a layer disconnected from its beauty. There’s still a long road ahead...
I was watching a lady bug earlier this morning and it was walking across a pile of cement. As I watched this ladybug cross the cement I imagine it saying, “damn capitalism.”
I woke up next to some mops. My feet were dirty. I hadn’t cleaned them the night before. They seem to be getting stronger the less I pay attention to them.
The eight hundred year old child learned to feed itself after the river of free pizzas in playroom dried up.
I plugged my phone into a brick wall and waited for it to recharge itself. As I waited I touched the phone and asked the all the national newspapers if they had any reporters in Florida covering people walking barefoot.
I wonder if blades of grass ever believe they’ll one day become famous.
The town I was walking through had nice sidewalks. The trees were also very tall.
I noticed some people out in the woods sitting on a dead mattress drinking from a bottle in hopes of becoming a dead mattress too.
At a gas station I noticed a dog sleeping next to a gas tank. I went inside and bought a pile of bananas. Everyone sort of looked at me while trying not to look at me.
Are you one of those people who likes to post on the internet about how everyone but you us dumb?
As I left the gas station I saw a man on a lawnmower driving towards the dead mattress in the woods. A few minutes later I saw him drive back past me with an odd shape trapped inside his face.
I couldn’t remember why everyone didn’t drive riding lawnmowers to work instead of their very large automobiles.
A friend called and we talked about how to do life. We both came up with some options.
I always feel excited when I remember life is still something people are allowed to do in this system whose ultimate goal is to kill all life.
A few miles up the road I got tired and sat down to meditate next to a log. Halfway through meditating a lady pulled up next to me and said, “private property.” I opened my eyes and nodded. The lady drove off. I continued to meditate.
I wonder why the lady didn’t ask the log to move? It has probably been meditating in the same spot for dozens of years.
When I began walking again I passed six men trying to do construction but they all seemed to be questioning their own lives because most of them stood around not doing anything as one of them yelled into a cell phone.
Dump gasoline on these trees until all the automobiles come to smell the fumes.
A man pulled over. He was hauling a grill. He said, “ Do you want to sleep on my couch?” I shrugged. He pointed at something twenty miles north. I told him I wasn’t going north.
I wonder if the moon and sun have ever dated?
The trees whispered, “It’s going to get dark soon.” I still planned to walk a few more miles.
A small piece of myself deep inside felt sad another day was ending.
I looked at my phone until I saw some pictures that made me cry. For the most part the teardrops felt good but it also made me think about the hundreds of people I see every day. Somehow I am within a few feet of so many different people but somehow still remain completely isolated.
I encourage everyone to try walking and crying in the dark until Der the moonlight. It’ll really clear up your sinuses.
Up the road I saw a church. It looked like people were gathered inside. I walked around to the side and lay down behind the shed.
Sometimes because of my bare feet and the lack of daily human contact I feel like a ghost.
I heard people leaving the church and getting in their automobiles. I could almost hear what they were talking about but instead I fell asleep.
Everyone in my dreams was dressed either for a funeral or a holiday party.
What I ate on day 90: Bananas, cashews, dates, prunes, almonds, and flaxseed powder.
A poem
I got / a teardrop / last night / because / a friend / lost / all their relatives / he said / it is very minor / the relatives / were / born / over / two hundred / years / ago / I still / unpacked / the teardrop / and / let it sleep / on the part / of / my face / where / I hide stress / in the morning / the teardrop / was in the corner / looking / at / itself / on / the internet / teardrops / supposedly have / their own / internet / called / teardrop island / there is no / money / wires / trauma / or / tech bros / and / every / teardrop / is famous / for / the content / of / being / teardrops
If you’re interested in my previous journey across America check out the book: I am a road.
