He’s made mistakes in the past, and all he wants is another chance to make things right again. “I went kinda crazy for a while” Jacob told me. He had a lot of time to ponder about life while he was in jail. “When I got out no one gave me a chance” he said. Jacob retreated to the mountains. He spent a month there in the wilderness looking for answers. He came back a renewed man. “I realized I can’t worry about tomorrow, I gotta live my life for today. I just wanna make people smile and do what I’m passionate about; writing my music.” He held a sign that read ‘rap for change.’ He had this positive energy about him. He seemed tireless and upbeat, even though he manages to get only a few hours of sleep each day at a park somewhere or on the bus. He’s been homeless for years. “I just go where the spirit leads me” Jacob said. It was a bright sunny day so I gave him a pair of brand new sunglasses that my optometrist friend Derrick Woo had provided me. He was so grateful he enthusiastically performed a rap song for me. A little concert right on the street. The lyrics were heartfelt and beautiful. Especially knowing it came from a place of struggle and pain. People would walk by. He would meet their gaze and sing to them, but most wouldn’t acknowledge him and pretend he wasn’t there. One elderly lady listened to him rap, and when he finished she said “that sounds like poetry.” He gave her hug and said “yes ma’am, rap stands for rhythm and poetry.” Jacob left me a parting gift, he recorded himself rapping on my smartphone so I can always remember our time together:
They say if I can write my thoughts
I can manifest them
I prayed this man came to me
gave me an suggestion
he told me never fear,
never start stressing,
now that should be enough for you,
so you can change direction
it’s quite possible you’ll return to your former essence
the same thing that led so many others through the tunnel home
I can’t wait till we arrive so we can get our ton of gold
they say sow good seeds you get it back a hundred fold
now that should be enough salvation to save a hundred souls
I know it’s hard for y’all living
it’s hard for me
none of us asked to be born inside of poverty
but I look at it from Gandhi’s point of view
quite calmly
if I don’t have it
then at the time it wasn’t for me
so smile at what you have
never say poor me
