The second time I met Otis, I had a studio gallery in Birmingham, Michigan. It was called ‘The Earth and Me.’
My pots were really cool and innovative, but I was running it into the ground.
The wealthy Birminghamites would walk in and see dust and smell cat piss in the potted plants and never come back.
I thank a stray cat angel for my first sober night.
She had 6 kittens in my closet. Two of them died right away and I flushed ‘em down the toilet. Ma cat took off and left me with the last 4. I call a pet shop to find out how to keep the rest alive. They told me to feed ‘em milk with an eyedropper every 3 hours.
Of course I couldn’t get drunk cuz I had to feed these kittens.
They lived and I found out I was strong.
After a few hours sleep, I woke up on a Sunday morning and I could see how Otis fit into this picture. I remembered hearing somewhere about bread and communion. I knelt on my kitchen floor with a chunk of whole wheat bread and held it up to the sky. I said, ‘I don’t really know what it means but this is for You’.
Then I ate it.
I heard somewhere how we’re supposed to give money to God.
I’d been throwing pots on my wheel and my clothes were covered with mud.
I took some cash out of my drawer. I walked down the street to an Episcopalian church where I heard singing through the stain glass windows.
I knocked on the heavy oak doors.
A clean scrubbed man opened and said ‘Come in, come in!’
I felt dirty, covered with clay.
‘No, no, no,’ I say.
I threw the crumpled bills on the floor and ran away.
But things started to change after that.
My pots were really cool and innovative, but I was running it into the ground.
The wealthy Birminghamites would walk in and see dust and smell cat piss in the potted plants and never come back.
I thank a stray cat angel for my first sober night.
She had 6 kittens in my closet. Two of them died right away and I flushed ‘em down the toilet. Ma cat took off and left me with the last 4. I call a pet shop to find out how to keep the rest alive. They told me to feed ‘em milk with an eyedropper every 3 hours.
Of course I couldn’t get drunk cuz I had to feed these kittens.
They lived and I found out I was strong.
After a few hours sleep, I woke up on a Sunday morning and I could see how Otis fit into this picture. I remembered hearing somewhere about bread and communion. I knelt on my kitchen floor with a chunk of whole wheat bread and held it up to the sky. I said, ‘I don’t really know what it means but this is for You’.
Then I ate it.
I heard somewhere how we’re supposed to give money to God.
I’d been throwing pots on my wheel and my clothes were covered with mud.
I took some cash out of my drawer. I walked down the street to an Episcopalian church where I heard singing through the stain glass windows.
I knocked on the heavy oak doors.
A clean scrubbed man opened and said ‘Come in, come in!’
I felt dirty, covered with clay.
‘No, no, no,’ I say.
I threw the crumpled bills on the floor and ran away.
But things started to change after that.
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