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People of the Night: Joe John

Observations of people and places on this planet

By Naomi KatePublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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28 July 2019

6:57 PM; SundayTempe, Arizona

Just got the CRV from the rock gym park lot, Kyle just headed off to work.

I climbed into the scorching hot CRV, cranked it up, and turned the AC on full blast.

We’re under a heat warning in Phoenix—110 degrees. Miserable.

I turned on some old soulful blues and headed out of the parking lot.

“Imma crawlin’ king snake baby’’ the man sings. I pull up to the street, waiting to pull out. A man is walking erratically on the sidewalk towards me. His body is red—flushed from the heat and drugs. He wears blue scrubs, but he is no doctor. He walks fast, can’t stay in a straight line, but he’s not drunk. Every part of his body bobs around oddly, there’s something off about his demeanor. He approaches me as I am about to turn out—throwing his arms into the air and distorting his face as if he were playing the grizzly bear in a game of charades. I pull out away from this freak and look back at him as I drive off—he’s just staring at me like I’m the odd one. It felt as if he thought I was afraid of him, and he wanted to over-exaggerate the part of a big scary monster.

____

7:06 PM

A man stands behind the bus stop. Just staring to the sky above. Minutes pass and his body sways side to side, his gaze transfixed above. I'm on my way to do some postmate deliveries in downtown Tempe.

____

3:30 AM

He approached earlier, putting his head into my space, asking for the time—I was unsure at the time if he was normal, mentally ill, or tweaking—I answered him in English.

This time, he’s poking his head over to look at my photos of Wyoming and rambling on, bobbing his head like chicken as he does.

“Nature's great. I really connect with it. Especially at night. Especially at night with the stars."

Uh-huh. I make the appropriate small talk. That's right man. This universe is really cool.

His eyes widen.

A smile forms in his eyes—lighting them up as the smile follows to his mouth.

[Pause]

“Yeah. Well I'm SUPPOSED TO MEET SOMEONE HERE. They aren’t here. I’m trying to get in contact with them. Can you send them a message on messenger for me?”

His head continues to bob about like a chicken, and his eyes grow wide, eyebrows raising as he sits there, waiting for my answer.

I beat around the bush, pretending I have no idea what facebook messenger is for as long as I can.

Sure. I’ll send a message to your tweaky friend.

____

“Hey duke it's Joe John, are you there?

"I would like to speak with you. Last time I came by I was told not to come to the house. Duke hit me up 911 ASAP, or I'm coming over. I'm at urban beans 24 hour cafe right now.

How can I be physically involved in your lives again? I give unconditional love and forgiveness. are you and the rest of my family too much p*** to handle that? Hurry up and get back to me cuz I'm sitting here with ten dead *** and AuyLee Ruth just told me she thinks one of them is cute, and she threw her wedding band back at me, so I shot her right in the eye and she loved it. It's your turn next, hurry up.”

_____

The guy he’s contacting is a part of a group of homeless people who are tight like family. They brought John into their community, but keep screwing him over and just using him. He insists that this is just a seven-year-long initiation period, and he chases them back and will keep chasing them and loving them. He described them as ‘a bunch of mentally ill children' who went to a zoo and grabbed sharp sticks to stab the smart bear. John says he’s the bear, and he’s trying to share with them an enlightened way to live, because he has all the smarts and they clearly do not.

Said they love to pick on him and once they gave him a car to drive around… after they stole his car. Then John got busted in the car they gave him. It was stolen. Go figure and he went to jail for thirty days.

"You gotta get new friends man. Stop hanging out with these punks. They are just bringing you down. They don’t really care about you," I tell him.

"Yeah…" He pauses. "But I still am going to choose them for my family."

He proceeded to show me a photo of a woman he called his wife. He said that, in his head, she tells him they are married all the time. Yet she is typically with many other men as well. In fact, in the photo she is pregnant—her body frail, sickly almost, dark circles hang under her eyes. She told him that she didn't know who the father could be, but she wanted him to be the father, and be there for the child.

His face reddens and swells… he chokes back tears. ‘I love her. I haven’t seen her since this photo was taken.’

humanity
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About the Creator

Naomi Kate

Photojournalist - Observing people and places on this planet

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