The first chapter of my book, what do you think?
A walk for me means nothing for my destinations far . A journey if you will, but I consider myself to be of the traveled. Ive walked the beaten path, but found it not righteous and too narrow. The streets to me are boundaries in which others drowned in sorrow. Now, I lurk the night. Forever, I am a man amongst the shadows. I am a rubber tramp. In the moments of my travels I learned how to obtain ultimate freedom, how to love the sole, and to respect the boxcar.
I have learned that ultimate freedom rest its entirety in self sufficiency, it is limitless and everlasting. Contrary to my beliefs, governing laws limit the very existence of our freedom, in which I chose to not exist in. It seems that misery always seeks company; shackling me to the floor like a ball and chain, becoming dead weight for the man upon my shoulder. My conscience is telling me I have to go. Where? I do not know, but somewhere. All I know is that my feet will take me there and it is at this moment that I feel absolutely free.
There are many soles but I chose this pair as mine. They are modest, yet reliable. It most be remembered, that prior to my departure looks were more appealing than comfort. Consequently, my feet blistered from the unforgiving terrain and weather that this cruel world called mother nature. From that point on, I made a pact to never again fall victim of some fools marketing scheme. After all, when some folks think of you as a hobo or a bum, why try and be cool. The very first chance I received, I bought a new pair of shoes. Unfortunately, it wasnt until I hit an old ghost town called Bisbee, which is about forty or fifty miles outside of Tuscan, that I decided to stop. Coming from Cincinnati, it was a long ways from home. I walked into the shop and was greeted by an odd looking man, maybe fifty years old or so. His cowboy hat hung mysteriously over his eyes and his voice was raspy. He smelled like cheap booze and stale cigars. I told him that I needed a pair of shoes, but not just any shoe. I needed a shoe that would protect me from the evils of the world. I was looking for sole, a sturdy sole. The shoes were more of a brownish-black color, rather than grey, as stated on the manufactures box. The name is irrelevant. They were heavy but not to heavy, just heavy enough to know that they would last. When the sales clerk asked me what I thought of them, I looked at him with a devilish grin and told him, I will take them. I forked out my last sixty three bucks and threw it on the counter. He asked me , where ya headin. I looked back, and with a polite nod, I told him, nowhere in particular, but if need another pair of shoes Ill come back and let ya know how it was.
The railroad is a merciless place. One most approach this wasteland with a sense of caution, for at any moment the railroad Nazis can strike you down with a powerful claw, as if Lucifer had been resurrected from the depths of Hell. Catching up with a train moving at twenty miles an hour is hard enough, but being thrown off of a train after been beaten to a pulp is much harder. The air was cool, maybe a little too cool. The moon was up and the roaring of the coal driven engine could be heard from miles away. It was dark and the wind had a mysterious howl to it, as if the train was slicing into its very soul. I thought to myself, should I get off the train or should I stay for the ride. I heard a crack in the loose wooden boards called floors but it didnt concern me at the time. Little did I know that I had bunked with Daityas himself. Suddenly, a man grabbed my shoulders from behind and slung me into the corner of the boxcar, my head knocking against the rusty sheet metal or the walls. With a very disturbed voice he said, after this you may think twice before you jump on my train again. I glanced over and as quickly as I noticed the shotgun in his hand it was hammered across my face, in such a violent manner that I immediately fell unconscious. He picked me up and before he threw me out he, to make sure that I listened, next time Ill kill ya.. I landed with such brute force that I barrel rolled through the brush and nearly knocked myself out on an opposing tree. The train sped by as if nothing ever happened. If I were the sage Rishi, I would gladly dedicate my body to the gods in order to defeat this evil spirit. It was at that moment that I learned to respect the boxcar, but I will never take sides with it. Now, I only travel by foot.
Some people say I am running. I look at them and laugh. I am not running I am walking and walking in this life is what Ill do. I have walked with freedom, I have walked with soul, and I have walked the tracks. I am a rubber tramp.