May 2, 2011. Diary of a Billsticker – Trenton, New Jersey, USA

I picked up the local newspaper, 'The Trentonian,' and the headline was 'Killed For Pills.' That tells you something about the times we live in.

Trenton is the state capital of New Jersey. It is a city that has had a lot of hard times. But the people I met were warm and interesting and I enjoyed my time there.

I was carrying poem posters by Frankie McMillan, Lawrence Arabia, Sandra Bell, Jody Lloyd, Sam Hunt, Chris Knox and Robert Creeley.

As Nelson Mandela once said, people are more afraid of the light than they are of the dark. I think about this sometimes when I am putting up poetry posters because in a way, that is what poetry does. It lets in a little light. Suicide rates are highest in spring and I have always thought that this is because the light comes back and people can see their situation more clearly. The darkness had been a comfort of sorts.

I had Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California' in my head as I drove to Trenton. Then the Pretenders' 'Stop Sobbing' came on the radio. Chrissie Hynde is a great songwriter. These are songs that lift you up and make you feel like moving forward.

I had a Ramones poster on the back window of the car. 'Gabba Gabba Hey.' That's the only response I know to politicians and war. 'Gabba Gabba Hey.' Bill Clinton? Gabba Gabba Hey. Afghanistan? Gabba Gabba Hey.

Sigmund Freud talked about free association and the importance of letting the mind go where it wants to go. I think poetry does this for people.

Keep the Faith,
Jim Wilson