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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2013)
6 Street roots Feb. 1, 2013 T im eless P oetry By Dennis Rollins Shining and glimmering But hard to see Hard to believe Open and willing Out there, free: Three words go on. Tranquility, limelight, rendering. Three words of sanctuary We do everyday. Hello, Have a nice day, See you later. Time for sharing, Time for grief. Countless times to cherish my rhythm. For the hour We spent this hour indeed calmly -Lingering to see the enchantment For we had Come one come all shadowy and inspiring Won’t you believe for the time of the hour You see a poem is for you and me. Spreading the word in Southeast BY ANN-DERRICK GAILLOT C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R atching him sell Street Roots outside of the Hawthorne New Seasons, one can easily understand how Abraham V. became the top Street Roots vendor of December 2012. With a jacket and hat as his only guard against the winter chill, he generates a positive energy and maintains body heat by staying in constant motion. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, rocking back and forth between street and curb, Abraham warmlu greets passing shoppers, thanking them whether they buy a copy of the paper or not. Like a good salesman, the papers he has displayed, laid out neatly on top of his black, W Abraham A Culinary Fundraiser for Transition Projects vinyl duffel bag. The foot traffic is not heavy, but it is enough to keep him motivated. “I like selling over here better than downtown,” he tells me, admitting the crowds in the city center make him anxious. Luckily, Abraham, a Portland native, has a lot of space to cover in Southeast and rotates between a few different locations when selling Street Roots. Abraham first became a Street Roots vendor almost 14 years ago when, after leaving the Navy and falling on hard times, he came across another vendor and asked Thursday, February 21 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Urban Studio 935 NW Davis Street Tickets available exclusively at www.soupforthesoul.org Transition Projects Answers to puzzles on page 15 Street Roots strives for accuracy, but we're human. So we also strive to correct errors in our oaper whenever possible. Please report any errors :o our managing editor, Joanne Zuhl, at 503-228- 5657, or write to joanne@streetroots.org 3 L t7 8 6 9 8 9 L 8 8 L Ï? 9 3 S I 6 9 9 6 L 8 L 3 t7 8 8 9 9 3 P 8 6 L 6 L t7 t7 8 L 3 9 9 6 8 L L 8 9 8 6 8 9 L 8 9 Z 3 t7 9 L 3 8 9 9 L t7 6 8 9 6 8 k 3 fr L 8 9 VENDOR WORK ADS Available for light work, cleaning, and shopping. Assignments will get done! Contact Essie at 503-901-9594 Jon Cornelison is available for murals, custom work, tattoo design, acrylic painting and sculpture. sclfiacidwarp@gmail.com P H O T O BY COLE M ERK EL him about the program. Six months ago Abraham came to Street Roots a second time after being forced to give up his home so he could better financially support his mother and niece, whom he cites as his main priority. Abraham says he volunteered to be homeless so that his family could stay in housing, using a playful euphemism to describe what was no doubt a hard and unfortunate transition to experiencing homelessness for another time. However, he insists on the importance of kinship. “If you don’t take care of your family, you’re nothing,” he says. “Families these days are so against each other.” It is his responsibility to his family along with his determination not to give up on himself that keeps him thriving at Street Roots. “To me standing with a sign would be like I’m giving up.” In addition to selling Street Roots, Abraham has another job, which asks employees to sign a non-compete agreement. While the other job is enough to supplement his income, it is not enough to live on alone. Right now, Abraham lives from his truck and at a secret campsite that he has managed to make a bit safer and more comfortable with his extensive contracting skills. When asked if he can build a house he ardently responds, “I have!” Over the past six months Abraham has focused his efforts on learning the ins and outs of Street Roots sales. This being his second time as a vendor, Abraham has a lot of knowledge to offer on the subject of sales. If you come across Abraham selling Street Roots in Southeast, you’ll see his sales pitch is infectious and full of optimism.
