Moses Stone (1037 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.78 on 16 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by HerdofWookies (View user info) at 2004-12-23 12:36:19 EST
I see him almost everyday, toward the end of my commute, standing along New York Avenue just under the Brentwood Road overpass. With one hand he waves at the traffic passing by and at the cars that stop at the light positioned at his corner. With the other hand he waves a fistful of scraggly weeds, fanning them at the drivers as they continue on their journeys. Similar weeds are tied with string and twine to the lampposts that line the road.
From their cars, I'm sure he appears insane to the people going about their daily business. But I have come to know him over the years. His name, he says, is Moses Stone. And I believe he may be a prophet, or at the very least he is truly one of the chosen ones—if such a people exist.
I believe he is saved.
His hair and beard are dirty and unkempt. Both have begun to form gray dreadlocks. He is obviously homeless, having set up camp just past the "Do Not Enter" signs along the sides of the overpass. He has found shelter where others see only destitution and desolation. He has nothing; he owns nothing. And yet, he sees fit to give—he imparts his blessings upon the motoring masses because, he asserts, they need it. He claims to be a priest. Pointing to the dried reeds and grasses in his hand, he says "This is marijuana. Mary is the mother of Christ. This is Mary."
Who am I to argue?
He has come to this place by the side of the road because the overpass and the street below it form a cross. And because "this is where Lincoln freed the slaves." And because "the city needs blessing." With that, I couldn't agree more.
Moses has become part of my daily journey--part of my life. On the days I don't see him I worry. I worry about him at night when he abandons his post. "The devil comes out at night," he once said. "At night I live at the church." He lives a life of unimaginable hardships, I'm sure, enduring things that I could not—surviving what I probably would not survive. And yet I find myself trying his shoes on for size. Moses is not rushed. The length of the red light has no effect on him. He does not travel in circles everyday, from the suburbs to the city and back again in an endless journey that takes him nowhere. Time has a different meaning for him altogether. "It's all just one day," claims Moses. "There is day and night, light and dark, and the seasons change. But it's all the same. Time doesn't pass, time just is. You're fooling yourself if you think otherwise, boy."
Who am I to argue?
User Reviews
Submitted by DCWoody (user info) at 2006-04-24 09:00:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by EatMeCompletely (user info) at 2006-01-13 14:20:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I know this man's home. I have seen his nest.
Submitted by badassmofo (user info) at 2005-09-21 11:39:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-01-11 11:58:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-12-23 12:44:32 (#)
Ranking: 2
Moses rocks.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2004-12-27 17:49:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Shit!
How did I miss this?
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2004-12-24 11:22:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Yes! drfeggphd pays me a visit. Now I can retire for the day, content.
Submitted by drfeggphd (user info) at 2004-12-24 11:15:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Irie.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2004-12-24 10:10:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by thuumblina (user info) at 2004-12-23 15:09:32 (#)
Ranking: 2
you from DC?
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In a roundabout kind of way...if that's vague enough for you. It is, however, where I'm currently working.
Submitted by Impassive-Digressive (user info) at 2004-12-23 19:43:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Holy Moses!!
Submitted by boomslang (user info) at 2004-12-23 15:32:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Moses can take care of himself, don't worry.
Submitted by thuumblina (user info) at 2004-12-23 15:09:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
you from DC?
Submitted by WookieSuave (user info) at 2004-12-23 14:50:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
AUTO +2
Wookiee's Unite!
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2004-12-23 14:13:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Sassmasterr (user info) at 2004-12-23 13:03:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
in my book, moses deserves "respek knuckles" from everyone.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-12-23 12:44:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Moses rocks.
Submitted by knucklesnelson (user info) at 2004-12-23 12:41:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment