MY PUMAS

The summer of 1983 I was selling pillows with my Uncle Jerry on 125 Street, in Harlem right across the street from the Federal building. I was saving up for a Numark mixer and some white suede Puma’s. I remember the smell of incense, and Chiba in the air. We sold pillows for five dollars a pair next to a record store. I remember hearing Rick James everyday; he had just released the album Cold Blooded. My uncle would ask the record shop dude to play his favorite song Ebony Eye’s a duet with Rick James and Smokey Robinson. I loved that track but my Favorite was Mary had a P.i.m.p,

My uncle would send me to go get a fried fish sandwich without to much mayonnaise because he hated the way it squirted out his mouth. The fish place was a hole in the wall that fried fish, just down the block; I could feel Uncle Jerry watching my every move.

At the order window was a big fine sister with an Afro, cherry scented gloss on her perfect lips and baby powder on her partly exposed breast. My uncle normally gave me a ten spot and that would be enough for two fish sandwiches and two grape sodas and there would always be change. About two dollars and fifty cents.

This one day I’m waiting on our order, And this old man comes up to me and says he just got put out of his home and he just wants something to eat he hadn’t eat in days…and he looked hungry…so I gave him my fish sandwich and the two dollars and fifty cents.

When I got back to my Uncle he asked what happened to my fish sandwich? I explained to him about the man, my uncle told me what I did was a nice thing to do, but “stop feeding them birds”.

He explained he said, “Boy New York is so tough they had to name it twice New York New York”. So you have to think twice before you do anything in this city”. He told me there is nothing wrong with helping someone but its how you help a person that could come back and hurt you.




He said your working for me right, yes uncle Jerry, Now I gave you money to go get us lunch, now half of that money is yours I know you thought I was just giving you my money but you actually eared the money. So half was yours that’s called a paid lunch, but you gave away 1.50 of mine which you will work off. See the effects already from that bird.

See what if you had a family at home and you gave your hard earned money away to some bird and now your family is short now your ass is going to get put out all because you start feeding pigeons, and once you start feeding them birds they just go tell more birds.

See you can help someone by showing them how like I’m showing you how to make money, so you can make your own, now I can just give you some money to go get your mixer and your Pumas but then guess what I would be doing Feeding pigeons, turned a eagle into a pigeon. If you really want to help him you should of brought his ass up here with you to sell these damn pillows then he would have a trade. Next time you see him and you will ask him would he like to earn a days pay, if he says yes bring, here, if he says no tell him to tell his story walking.

The next day the old man was back at the fish spot and he remembered me, he told me the same story. I asked him to come sell pillows with me he said he was to busy. I said well good tell your story walking…