QAS

For 3 days now I've been at DESC's Queen Anne Shelter. Located at 1st and Roy, the shelter building, of rocks and concrete looks like a tomb. In contrast, to the DESC shelter next to the Morrison on 3rd, across the street from the courthouse. Ok, those folks are disabled , unable to work, (that's why when you pass by the section of town, they look so pitiful, they are the disabled homeless). Here at the QAS, these are people with jobs, or able bodied folks that are actively seeking work.  Well, I'm here and they don't look or smell like working people. They smell like foot fungus and unwashed ass. The bathroom smells of vomit because someone got sick. Drunk people are allowed in just like at the Blaine Shelter. I think it's just expected that if you're homeless you hafta get drunk so the people at the shelter accept and expect this...

I like to drink. I do it at my girlfriend's house so I can enjoy it freely. The shelter is not a place to party. But people party there anyway. I don't get it. Why get drunk at a homeless shelter???? What fun is that? If you are too unruly you are ejected from the premises...so why even get started?

Well by the looks of this crowd, I think only about half of these people are working. And of that portion, probably less than half have a real job that is not just day labor. Non felon, full-time working people like me....we don't live in shelters.....except for me....I'm the only one.....I thought this would be over by now and that I'd be somewhere like Sherwood tryin to figure out the book layout....of my poetry /photo montage book entitled "the properties of grace" a collection of poems and images that document my homeless experience,  lasting less than 5 months.

But that's not to be. My show was a success. I was there. Where were you? I'll do another one, with a rhythm section.....stay tuned......