Street roots
6
Feb. 17, 2012
No man
knoweth
the hour
Inspired from
within and
without
BY MARLON CRUMP
STREET RO O TS V EN D O R
hese are more than words scripture
d in the Bible pertaining to the
reality of death when I think of
birthdays, in present day. Traditionally,
birthdays for many is gathering around a
cake lit with candles, and blowing them
out. Making a wish is often expected soon
thereafter. In some
cultures, ceremonies
are celebrated to
honor one’s new age.
For me, as I
approach the age of
3 4 ,1 hold in high
regard of all my
struggles, sacrifices,
and success of being
blessed to survive for
yet another year.
Before I can say (or people say to me)
“Happy Birthday” what of the ones
responsible for it? Biggest celebration
should go to the very life that’s responsible
for it: my mother. Twelve days after my
mom’s 18th birthday, she herself gave life
on Feb. 22, 1978, to me!
A friend of mine, single-mom Karen
Pringle, a.k.a Shaman’a Ital Jahroot,
recently stated her opinion about
birthdays. “I think that we celebrate (both)
the day the mother gave birth and the
birth of the child.”
In every single second, minute, and hour
of the day towards waking up to a “good
morning,” I often pray for a “good night”
sleep. Sleeping is a short death. Wide
T
awake could be m y last breath. Reborn
from near death experiences I’ve
encountered and conquered. Birthdays are
a celebration of not only being born on a
certain day, but to cherish it every day.
Every day is my birthday, not just the
year thereafter!
BY COLE MERKEL
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
regon’s relentless rainy months
between late summer and late spring
are difficult for many, including
Debra Knauf, who admits that the winter is
probably the hardest time to sell Street
Roots. “Not very many people want to come
out in the rain and buy a paper,” she says.
“You have more luck in the snow than in the
rain.”
Still, Debra finds inspiration in the
environment, both natural and physical. She
is a poet. She has been published in Street
Roots several times in the last few months
and continues to produce and turn in new
work. “I find a space to write about things
that happen in Portland,” Debra says. While
her poems revolve primarily around being
homeless, they often display great depth,
O
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Debra K n a u f
exploring topics of femininity, race and
spirituality, sometimes simultaneously. Take
for example this extract from, “Write A
Page,” published in Street Roots on Jan. 20:
“I’ve seen their stories on the news but I
haven’t lived them.
I’m no stranger to poverty, but I’m white,
white bread, white wine —
New grapes of wrath vintage.
Poor and white is not poor and black,
Poor and Asian, poor and Mexican.
They’re right: I won’t know their truths.
They don’t know mine either.”
“She Emerges” was published in Street
Roots on Dec. 9:
“Spine Elongates
Tension releases
Hips off the ground
Arms strong
Head upright looking forward
Breathing
This is just what it is.”
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Answers to puzzles on page 15
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Craig Preston: Labor work, $12 an hour,
please call the Street Roots office to inquire:
503-228-5657
Tibor S.: Available for any labor work
around a house. 1-201-539-1888.
Cassidy Morse: Looking for work. Will do
most anything, light and heavy. $10 an
hour, four-hour minimum. References
supplied. Please call 503-224-5398 or Street
Roots at 503-228-5657
P H O T O BY COLE M ERKEL
Debra’s poems grapple with the beautiful
mystery of being human, the difficulty of
ground and people not even trying to pick it
being hom eless and ways th at she r e l a t e s to
u p o r g e t r id
others. Often viscerally focused on her own
body and mind, Knauf’s poems focus on
coming to terms with our own human inter
connectedness. Her poetry is stark in its
simplicity yet striking in its depth.
Poetry speaks to Debra because it allows
her to employ her love for rhyming words
coupled with topics she thinks are
important. Debra says, “I am working on a
poem about the environment and keeping
Oregon green. It’s really important that we
get the message across somehow that we
need to start recycling and doing better for
the environment before it’s too late.”
Knauf considers herself an
environmentalist and is an avid recycler.
“I don’t like seeing trash all over the
ol it. ft c a u s e s a T o r o ’r ^ B f n S ^ ’™"
to the ozone and the living creatures that
are among us,” she says.
Street Roots is the best job Debra has
ever had, and as she moves toward the
future she would be interested in going into
publishing, which would allow her to keep
writing poetry and help others do the same.
Until then, she would like to find an
apartment: something simple with a
bedroom, bathroom and kitchen and maybe
a cat like one of the many she had as a
child.
Debra can be found selling Street Roots
most weekday afternoons at the Starbucks
on SW 3rd and Jefferson.
Vendor Wish List
Donations keep Street Roots and our vendors
working by keeping our operating costs low.
Socks
Lil Hotties
Paper cups
Hygiene items
Towels
■ First-aid supplies
■ TriM et bus
tickets/passes
■ Printer paper
■ Toilet paper
Changing Lives
Building Communities
Creating Opportunities
CORRECTIONS
Street Roots strives for accuracy, but
we're human. So we also strive to correct
errors in our paper whenever possible.
Please report any errors to our managing
editor, Joanne Zuhl, at 503-228-5657, or
write to joanne@streetroots.org
www, centrcdcityconcern.org
503-294-1681