Faced with the void after recent life events, I turned to Craig’s List on a hot and lonely summer weekend. In the “Community Groups” section along with blue hairs looking for a friendly game of rummy, I found an ad with the title, “Let’s do some crime.” It seemed clever, funny, fresh, and oh so enticing to an impressionable young man of 36 years. It started out as a friendly get together, a few forties at a block party in the worst part of town. The next morning, I wake up wearing a wife beater t-shirt sporting a fresh tattoo (of poor quality, might I add) and a nickname; they chose “Sling Blade” evidently due to my southern accent. But the kicker is they’re actually a really cool group of guys. They get me. I mean they really get me. They’re as fed up with the rat race as I am. Not only do they not ask me about my “bucket list”, but I haven’t found anyone in the gang who even knows what that is. 401K? Please. These guys – nay WE are living in the moment. Health insurance? Try life insurance. Heck, most of these guys have never even met someone as old as me, much less expect to reach my age. Yep, I’ve found my group of fellas, my homies, my new family.
Actually, the real story behind this new garage adornment (what I have dubbed an Urban Tapestry) is that I saw this painted on a curb-discarded box spring in midtown. I passed it and admired it for a few days and then it occurred to me that I could simply cut the material off the box spring. And so I did. Brought it home and hung it in my garage. After hanging it, it dawned on me that the top part reads “OLIVERA”…perhaps a last name. While the bottom is still a mystery, it kind of looks like “PSTE”. Any help in deciphering would be much appreciated.
