"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note."
- Doug Floyd
______________________
Poem to the Editor:
I think that I shall never see,
Anything so repulsively
As a butt, ½ smoked cigarette, or roll your own.
Wet and dirty, smelly in spume, beverage foam.
Receptacles provided, containers & cans
By storeowners and others, who want to give a hand.
Butt clean them, No one bothers
Not the town, less than ½ of the proprietors, or smokers
Well, maybe a few, when they’re full or if reminded
Butt their customers come each week or each day
And the smelly ol’ butts, just lay and lay
Some of the others, not owners
Who clean out the cans?
A cute young girl from Frankie’s
Picking them up by hand
Heard saying as she does it
“This gives us smokers a bad name, man”
An old lady with a cane
Bent over the can
Slotted spoon in hand
A dedicated man with the push broom & dustpan
Cleaning all up Elliott St.
All the sidewalks, cracks and cans.
Poems are made by fools like me
Butt only YOU can help keep things clean.
~Deanna Garcia
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas (In Harmony)
‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the Lot
Not a creature was stirring
The Baddies been caught
The Hundred plus residents
Were down for the night
But most store owners still
Rushing & Scurrying, to make
Everything look just right.
While Bob in his Nightcap
Looking down from above
Saw a most wonderful sight
One awesome white dove
When out in the Lot there arouse such a clatter
I sprang from my Brooks House bed
To see what was the matter
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash
When what to my wondering eyes should appear?
A jolly, bearded, long haired old hippie
His eyes-how the twinkled!
He had flown down just like Zippy
His cute little mouth, was drawn up like a bow
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow
Was it George from the Drop? NO
He spoke not a word but went straight to his work
Plugged in his amp, then turned with a jerk
I knew in a moment it was Jerry Garcia,
Back from the Dead
He played and he jammed, “White Dove” was his song
Calling all to join in, he could play all night long
Then out came the store owners, residents
And all who were conscious
First Jonathan, Jackie & Jim
Gallenes, Sun Dried Tomato, Brenda & Rob
Cindy, Deanna and of course, BOB
Fiona, Denise, & Danielle
All looking real Swell
The Optima boys & Underground guys
Jerry took time from his song to say High
Steve our in-house artist
Glen from Vermont Artisans & Designs, admiring his work
Taylors Flowers & Dragon Fly
Sevca, Gershom & Jai
Frankie and all of his crew
Norm up from Moles eye, providing us brew
Adagio, Metropolis, Weathervane
Not to be out done, provided libations too.
Wendy heard us clear up the Block
My friends from the India Palace & Stores
Everyone’s, The Book Cellar, & Baskets Books
And Sheer Design to give us good looks.
Mary from Hotel and her gang
They always jam
Maple Leaf Music, my gosh here comes Sam's
The Stores and the Residents, coming in droves.
Brown & Roberts contributed a portable stove.
Brilliance, Common Ground, Ian & Larry
LiPon, Pur Vida & Backside Cafe, so merry
Schaff for your Eyes, Sprouts for the wee ones.
Coffee Country and Prompt Image
Common Loaf bakery, mmmmm smell those buns.
Officer DiMarino thought there was a riot
There was so much noise
But when he saw Jerry
He was just one of the Boyz
Oh we danced and we partied,
Had fun until Dawn
Then Jerry said "Later"
And away he was gone.
But I heard him exclaim
As he roared out of sigh
PEACE, LOVE, AND JOY
The future for Harmony Place is very Bright!!!!!!
As I rewrote this poem
I realized one thing
You can never leave Harmony
There you have Everything
-Deanna Garcia (No relation to Jerry)
Terry Martin sent in a link to a US Dept of Justice definition of community policing. He has also started a discussion on iBrattleboro on the topic. Terry has a website with an incredible amount of content relating to his career as a Vermont State Trooper. Check out Terry's website!
Ideas
A Place For Music
Anti-Trash Campaign
Something I've always wanted to see -Ezra D.
Come spring, I would like to do that day lily thing that
was brought up, and i think planters here and there with flowers are
good. Right now next to the new deli all summer, that wasn't planted
and if Frankie didn't care we could help with his little wall.
Chess Anyone?
Another
thought as i walked the lot this afternoon, you will see the area near
the beauty shop and across from sun dried tomatoes. Some zucchini grew
wild there this summer. I got 2 very large ones. But maybe we could
plant some crop plants in some areas. zucchini, pumpkin. Behind that
area as you go into Moles Eye, it is bare, we could plant some tomatoes
for anyone to have. I think it is Johnathon's property.
Paris Trash Receptacle
We've posted flyers for the website
Butt Cans:
Krista put up some funky and user-friendly butt cans. This is exactly
what we need, community involvement. If we have these conspicuously
placed around the lot, it will make it easy for people to use them.
There will always be people who will probably never use trash cans or
butt cans, but if we make it easier for everyone, the problem will
become much more manageable. Shouldn't we have more!
BTW: I found a Sony Memory Stick in the lot. Let me know if you lost it. ~Bob
Create a sense of Place
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Opinions
The
selectboard and acting police chief seem to just say what we cannot do.
we cannot control loitering, large crowds of people, cant enforce
curfew law cuz they are homeless teens (ALL OF THEM?!!!) drug dealing
(we are not big enough for the drug task force) we only have 3 officers
per shift, no one wants to hire on as policeman, "this is just a little
piece of land" the acting chief said that twice or something to that
effect. We cant have the Sheriffs or State Police help, because of
difference in way of policing. Well, if we are this much trouble, maybe
we need some different policing methods. at least temporarily. Dont get
me wrong. i feel that since we started the police are doing a very good
job. I tried really hard to think of one thing that both policing
meetings may have said that can, might or will work. I dont remember
any. but i am older and i know i dont remember everything. I want to be
part of Can Do committees, not WE CAN'T. Also i am not a political
person, nor as educated. i feel a bit intimated to speak at them. I
feel like with the activities, sit outs, beautification, Neighborhood
watch program, and dialogue with youth, I CAN DO. All of these things
that they say we can't do are the beginning of a "bad neighborhood."
Now that i have said all that i feel like i will come to both meetings
next week, thank you for asking. -D
We need opinions. Please email to vermontharmony@gmail.com or feel free to post them on the blog.
~ We need your suggestions too.~
