Artistic Director Blog

 

 

Excerpts from “Homcoming” by Nicholas Rodriguez – 2018

“Sometimes the place you leave behind tracks you down, nips at your heels, tackles you to the ground, and drags you all the way back home—kicking and screaming.  After settling back in, you reflect; you tip-toe around your old stomping ground—avoiding landmines. Matlock Street and Temple—the Christopher Columbus Projects where I grew up; four tall buildings, three low row-houses, fifteen crowded floors, ten thousand histories are gone now—demolished. 

I’m back living in Paterson, navigating intersections that lead from my past to the present.  Most day, I’m just an ordinary citizen, minding my business.  At family gatherings, social events or political functions, I stick to historical facts and avoid discussing the local evening news.  “Hey, did you know the famous comedian Lou Costello was born right here in the Silk City?  They named a park after him.  Wanna know who hangs out there after dark?”

“Who? ” “Who’s on first?” “What?” “What’s on second!”  I don’t understand! “He’s on third.” 

Some nights, I howl with the poet Ginsberg and attempt Dr. William Carlos Williams epic Paterson, the poem: all five books for a second time.

—Say it. No ideas but in things—