THE HOBO
HANDBOOK: MEMOIRS OF A HOMELESS POET IN NEW YORK
TIME (Continued)
If you’re late, you’re shit out of luck. Food and supplies run out fast
and survival is only for the swift out here. Homeless folks who can’t make it on time to
these places aren’t going to last very long on the streets. Thus, the need to
always be cognizant of the time.
Believe or not, homeless people are never late for meals. Amazing,
isn't it? Yeah, they all have their grub meters tuned and calibrated to the
next and nearest soup kitchen. It’s remarkable to watch how a “Skeksy” who
seems out of his or her mind most of the day, walking around, talking out loud to
themselves in gaga land, can manage to locate the next soup kitchen and get
there well in advance of time.
It is indeed puzzling.
If you can scrape up enough cheddar to purchase a cheap five-dollar
watch or get a cheap cell phone, it would serve you well. If you can’t afford
regular, competitive, baby Ma-Bell phone service, you can always buy a TracPhone from Duane Reades or
your neighborhood dime store. They’re very inexpensive, and you won’t accrue a
monthly bill.
What is more, it has an automatic time digital display!
In the event you just can’t afford to buy a watch, then it’s time to
live off the land, trooper. This calls for an observant eye that looks out for clocks
and digital displays throughout the many buildings and billboards that carry
these, on your travels about town.
Clocks and digital read-outs are practically everywhere!
If you take a good look around you will
see clocks of all kinds, just about anywhere you go. They’re on buildings, advertisement
signs and what have you. You can even find digital displays on the modern
meters located on most city blocks.
The point being, you don’t have to be lost for time just because you
don’t have a timepiece. No matter where you are you can always, as Flavor
Flav once said, "know what time it is…Boy-ee!"
Now, that the day is drawing to a rapid close, and you're chomping at
the bit to hunker down for a good night's rest in one of your well-selected places,
you'll need to stash your precious bags and items while you sleep. Knowing
where to tuck my valuables away was another important skill I had to
acquire promptly.
So we'll discuss that next.
STASHABLE
LOCATIONS
(To be continued...)
