by Lori Pino
but Im still on the Haight, and I still love this place more than anywhere else.
The faces have changed but the magic is still here.
My queen has gone home but I still feel like part of her is still here
with me on the Haight.
TIM K.
You know I thought I would have more to say
do to the fact that I spend a lot of time out here with my friends.
Summer after summer
but today I am here with my dad playing pool
and it is a whole new experience.
It’s more than I thought it was. Shareing
something that I thought it was so different than what I think of when I
think of hanging out with my family.
It’s a totle trip.
RACHAEL D.
Haight Street loves its pot-heads,
I have never seen so much dank weed.
Haight Street rocks.
4:20
4
Ever
SHAGGY
As darkness unfolds
and daylight explodes
mine eyes become weary
my outlook dreary
if I could share
the way that I care
if I could find bliss
within your kiss
I’d love you now
as I loved you then
I’d love you till my life does end.
ASH
I see things come and go here on Haight St.
It seems to change a lot, except for the flowers, coffee shops, “The Park,”
and their epitaphs.
I’ve seen “people” die here, and I’ve also seen “people” find peace within themselves here.
It to me is simply what you (one) make or take from it!
Like anywhere else . . . hell no!
Maintain, be strong!
Faith is like a three-legged stool;
without the fourth leg, it won’t sit correctly or steadily.
MICHAEL J. T.
I have been on the streets in Berkley and SF,
Market and Powell, also on the Haight St. for 20 years,
But I never expernce one man! “Job”
I call him that because of his faith in Jesus so much.
He’s in a wheelchair with swurm cell cancer.
Satan has tryed his best to put Job down.
His whole body’s in pain form head to toe.
It’s very hard to live on the streets.
I was in a wheelchair on the streets.
It’s not easy!
God Bless
REV JEROLD N.
My Life on Haight
My life on Haight begun with a street sheet
with nothing to eat and cuts on my feet
as I walked up and down the street.
Founded out people can show love
but then weres theres Love I found hate,
but those people that hate couldn’t relate
to the life style of being homeless an no place to go,
I became graetful that during winter it was rain instead of snow.
Hippy Hill in the Golden Gate Park
gave me an understanding for a bran new start.
An this is when I seen true love between people that I didn’t know.
Now the seed of love inside me grow.
This is what upper hate have shown
Now I consider it my home.
PERRY L. U.
The ghost of a dying culture follows me
from Stanyon to Masonic, it’s ironic
when some gangster tries to sell me chronic.
Hop on the “N” to get away from all the sin,
back the next day to do it all again.
My mom told me hippies died in ’69.
We’re all livin in changin times,
sittin on a trash can askin for dimes,
but life on the Haight is a mistake,
that I can relate,
to bad we’re livin in a police state.
AARON G.
Hanging out on the Haight used to be much better.
It slowly gets worse & worse.
This is a shitty time full of drug-dealer wantabees + just plain stupid people.
Most of the people I met & liked over the years are dead, in jail,
or are taking care of their children.
It will get better though.
It always does, at least for a breif moment.
Until then I guess I’ll just drink myself to death
or until I’m an old slobbering bum.
2-BIT
Nights out late on Haight.
the gutter my friend.
I can’t remember a time
when life was ever normal
If you have neve been
here you will never know
how this place can change you
Raised on Black Flag and Beer
my street mothers milk,
and then the breakfast of champions
Today I’m older and a tad bit wiser
and a better man for it
my home my love my
Haight. xxx
BRETT K. W. (AKA SKUZ)
Lost home due to taxes.
Moved to Las Vagas then to SF,
became homeless.
Then the police wrote me up for staying in golden state park
past hours 10-6 am (open contianer)—bugs—scervy
Rats—cold—rain—4:00am drug dealers.
RODNEY L.
Fun Entertainment
DRUNNEP C.
Teddy bears dressed in leather
drinking Mickeys on the corner
passing out in the bushes
and fucking under the stars
The park is my home, the punks my family
all choosing not to participate in society
b/c society never participated in us
Ostercized as children
cuz we weren’t easily molded & folded
into cute little robotic soldiers
Yet we are soldiers
just of a different type
Daily for survival is what we fight
Cuz we all dread that dog bark
that call “six-up!”
cuz you know what we follow will be a cop mix-up!
But fuck the pigs
& fuck the abandoned dirty rigs
never knowing what tomorrow will bring
It don’t matter b/c we can mold it into anything
SKIZA
I just got jumped last night,
pulled my canine tooth out of my lip,
& lost all my work & cash.
I’m fuckin’ pissed.
TIM S.
Cops on bikes are wierd
people like to give me pot
I want some ice cream
The park is so huge
Moo!!
Everyone has a dog
Glass pipes are pretty
Haight Street is balanced
good pure
TRUBLE/TROUBLE
A lot of stress and no food.
no cash, I wish I had.
a home and $$$.
I wish the cops would stay off my ass.
I wish I had a woman too Love In my fucked up life miss.
I hate this life . . .
SHAWN G.
My experiensence on Haight St.
Have been great.
Thank you Lorrie
MARK O.
I’m busted & dusted
& my pockets are where thin like muster
ANDREW H.
Height St is trul
y humanly beautiful
Its like a coat of
manny colers
manny colers
REGINALD M. J.
Hello my name is Walter Watkins to day
I woke up in a tent thinking Im sore & hungry
but what a beautiful day
So I went out canning to get some change
—then I went to Hamiltons for lunch
and now its the afternoon
and I hope its going to be a beautiful evening
WALT
It was the best of times . . .
& worst . . .
Love & Haight.
That’s been my experience.
“NATURAL” S.
I had a jealous girlfriend who got violent with me
so I wrote this poem called jealousy
Be mine or decline
If you choose the latter
Its the end of the line
You can be with me or you can be without
But if you choose not to be than you’ll find out
Just how my wrath can be for you see I can be
Deadly
You have no choice for your life I will keep
You have no voice for your opinions I will reap
You have no control of things, for everything I want
Is everything you will bring. So you better get
used to dealing with this horror for if you try
to escape you’ll suffer so severe you’ll
wish it was only torture
SHAUN U.
Haight Street has always reminded me of a pseudo * home
Whenever I return; I experience something different!
That’s why I love Haight St!
“Do not stand at my grave and wheep.
I am not there.
I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave & cry.
I am not there.
I did not die!”
Once upon a time
while merrly tripping thru a rose garden;
there was nowhere to pee!
That’s what I hate about Haight St!
Compliments of the “project light.”
MICHAEL E. D.
(With lines from “Immortality” by Clare Harner Lyon)
Im a child of my parents revolution
a peace officer of evolution
with all the clues & all the keys
to my spirit & the gateways that be
So when the time come, my fellow human
and the dispair of war crosses all the lands
Ill be right there with you, understand
for this greed is not our creed
and I will take no heed
under lightings thonders deed
I’ll grab my gun like my first borne sun
in the land of the brave
where the outlaws are the last of the free
for us angels of harmony
we have no thrones
Respect is our king
in this twisted concerete jungle
where broken lives fix to meet
for the battle of eterity
& like birds of a feather—we flock together
to raise one up on reality—
STONER
I try to keep hope though it’s not easy
when the rains fallin and the air’s breezy
A smile from a stranger on the street
gives me strength to stand on my feet
I love this street for what it’s worth.
It’s became my home on God’s great Earth.
DWAYNE F.
Was It True?
It was told by Lauren,
and Mark heard it to.
Written on the wall in black
and white, about that satin night,
when there was no light . . .
You heard.
What happened in a fight,
when I wasn’t bright,
come on man!
I know you heard . . .
It was tongued over and over,
chemicalized and retrialized,
beat up, mixed up, then thrown
out into a crowed like a
place you just don’t go to.
Come on Man.
I know you heard.
Its so ugly, it’s hidden down
the alley, up high on a billboard.
Bordered by raw meat, dead fish,
goat blood, and rotten cow milk.
It’s called a rumor my
freind.
I know you heard.
over, over, over again.
Now I know you heard.
CHRISTINA E.
I Love The Haight
because I get all the cans and bottles.
CARL H.
In a multi demensonal world
All my steps in life has shown me many things
Through the years living houseless on Haight
Many changes have acured from hippy to punk
Happy anger drugs alcohol etc
But I live every night at the beach and think
Waw what a trip we all share in some way or
another so I wrote this song one day about all
The things that I saw feel and felt.
______________________________________
well I was walking down the street
with the toes hanging out of my shoes
And and angel said hey boy come hear and sing me some blues,
I said well I dont know no blues
Im not going to sing no dirty news
how about some New Age Rock and Roll
so we hop up on a cloud and took off for the stars
singing New Age Rock and Roll
saying you really want to know how high you are
take another look around
still singing New Age Rock and Roll
Height St CA 2000
INDRA J. G.
Geraldine and Ruthie Mae
We’ll be crusin Haight today
out there on the back street
by the dumpster.
We might find a bite to eat,
or something for our feet
We are older now
but certainly much better!
An i don’t want to be like that
(yes i do)
When my voice is frail and thin
telling stories to the night
counting hours till daylight
Geraldine and Ruth May
will be crusin Haight today
out on the back street
by the dumpster.
DAVID (BETTY) R.
Love
Sweat
Blood
Love
The creations of the street
This street
The summer of love will never be forgotten
Haight Street
The place where I live
The place that I care about
Where friends are brothers
And love is spread
BRENT W.
I LOVE THE HAIGHT,
been in Haight sence 1965,
with all the hippie, smoken weed,
and the street fair is great very year.
The people are nice too.
EDWARD R.
I just do it here because it is real groovy!
Met some of the best of the good, the bad & the ugly.
Now, after 7 years in SF & on Haight,
I’ve grown up enough to leave it for another place.
Thanks for listening to me.
Peace, Love, God.
MONKEY<
br />
Haight Street rocks!
A place for people to live and work peacefully
Unfortunately, no one that I see here looks out for anyone but themselves
as if they are too good to speak to anyone in more need than them.
Work is hard to find.
With no ID people fear the idea of me having
anything to do with their business as if I’m gona lie about who I am,
my age, or what I know how to do.
At least the cops are nice
the resourses are abundant and the pot is “dank.”
I guess its not so bad here in San Francisco,