October 2024 3rd Street Beat by Project Renewal

The 3rd Street Beat Mission Statement

The Third Street Beat is a newsletter written by and created for people with substance use disorder. Our mission is to validate that experience so people know that they are not alone, and to emphasize the many unique roads that we take to recovery. This is an opportunity to share our experiences to creatively support each other. We are non-political, non-denominational, multi-racial, and gender neutral. Our mission is one of recovery and harm reduction, and all experiences are welcome. All the viewpoints herein are personal in nature and related specifically to our contributors’ recovery.

The 3rd Street Beat Editorial Team

The 3rd Street Beat is produced byThe Recovery Center community with assistance from the occupational therapy team.

Front Cover - Art by M. R.

What’s a Grecian Urn? By J.K. pg. 3

Buried by A.T. pg. 4

Poetry pg. 5

Coat of Arms pg. 6-8

Memories by K.S. pg. 9

Writing by J.B. pg. 10

Writing by S.M. pg. 11

Giving Tree Writings pg. 12-14

Writing by A.T. pg. 15

History Meeting by T.P. pg. 16

Chronicles by D.A. pg. 17

Interview with Sally by J.K. pg 18-22

Journey into Hell by Anon pg. 23-24

Art Show! pg. 25-27

"What's a Grecian Urn?" (An ekphrastic haiku)

By John Michael Koroly

Joy stilled, yet alive!

Caught in time, yet bursting now! Frozen forms; wild!

Buried

In recovery we speak about jails institutions, and death. This picture of a jail cell saying Buried is how you feel when you are in that small confined space with your steel bench, steel toilet, and don’t forget the hard steel bed. Oh how you miss be able to just walk down the street, and be free. We as people should learn to appreciate the little things in we have. And be grateful to not be buried away in a jail call. Getting to the point of the subject this buried could mean that this cell may well as be a death row cell. Keep you mind free, and yourself free of being mentally incarcerated, or physically incarcerated, be thankful of being mentally as well as physically a free person, or a free jail bird flying in the sky.

Not my best side, I'm afraid. The artist didn't give me a chance to Pose properly, and as you can see, Poor chap, he had this obsession with Triangles, so he left off two of my Feet. I didn't comment at the time (What, after all, are two feet To a monster?) but afterwards I was sorry for the bad publicity. Why, I said to myself, should my conqueror Be so ostentatiously beardless, and ride Ahorse with a deformed neck and square hoofs? Why should my victim be so Unattractive as to be inedible, And why should she have me literally On a string? I don't mind dying Ritually, since I always rise again, But I should have liked a little more blood To show they were taking me seriously.

It's hard for a girl to be sure if She wants to be rescued. I mean, I quite Took to the dragon. It's nice to be Liked, if you know what I mean. He was So nicely physical, with his claws And lovely green skin, and that sexy tail, And the way he looked at me, He made me feel he was all ready to Eat me.And any girl enjoys that. So when this boy turned up, wearing machinery, On a really dangerous horse, to be honest I didn't much fancy him. I mean, What was he like underneath the hardware? He might have acne, blackheads or even Bad breath for all I could tell, but the dragon-Well, you could see all his equipment At a glance. Still, what could I do? The dragon got himself beaten by the boy, And a girl's got to think of her future.

~Memories~

I have walked through some tough memories in my life time. He string me to explore the nature of Who I am. Creating some of the most amazing stories, experiences, adventures, to share with my kids and wife. To share challenging paths that help elevate me, empower the confidence that boast the days that lay ahead. Hoping when I step into that time, relationships are inside of that circle of life, building health connections, environments, social structure, that will sing beautiful memories, lasting a lifetime. So before I engage in the expectation of finding happiness, I embrace the natural person I am. I’m kind in all my approaches in life, I love hiking through the woods, taking nice photos of the nature, & a blue jay flying with a woodpecker, or the moss vibrant colors that pecks my senses and tickles the emotions. Ally Pond sits in the middle of Queens, New York, I make it my duty to visit once a year. There was this one time I went with Adalyn, Zylah, and Keyden, it was a chilly evening. The season of fall was coming to a close and we started to see the beginning of the cold conditions. Hey kids we going to ally pond, they have some of the best smiles that made me feel this makes my day. Then to add to that day, life that fulfills it. Adalyn will look towards me for that sense of enjoyment and structure that homes good memories. We in the woods of ally pond, we got our sticks, wood, hershey chocolate bar, and some marshmallows, “Hand me the hershey chocolate Zylah”, I gave Zylad the direction on where it was. Meanwhile Kayden was exploring the land, touching bushes, viewing the dense forest with his brown eyes. Adalyn was gathering our camp out spot for us to sit around. ‘Mom look a spider”, Kayden pointed towards what he saw in the grass, looked towards his mom for her attention. Zylah ran towards Kayden to see the spider. “Guys lets go your mom is ready to make these s'mores now”. Aries and Dante stroll behind walking towards our direction we pulled our little twigs of sticks and stuffed the marshmallow on the stick. Dante and ARies both family, Adalyn’s twin sister, Dante is her son. “Grab a cracker Dante”, as he was walking towards us, I looked around. And life just started to slow down. The beauty in that vision created that wonderful memory of family, that bond of chemistry we connect. Our senses that increases in us to come back and visit to explore more of that happy, exciting time. We gathered in a circle with smiles around, with all these wonderful trees, the sound of the nature that creeps into our ears, and the time that we ignite because we are having fun. “Dad we have to do this again”, Zylah says, with smores smothered all around her lips. “Sure of course baby girl”,

my little of chocolate smores with everyone.

My name is Jack I want to write

About the man that went overseas. He got in trouble and went back and forth to court for murder. He pleaded not guilty but that wouldn’t give him no bail He was going back and forth to court for awhile When it was time for him to go to trial, his friend from over here went to his Trial. He was found guilty, and Sentence to die.Two weeks before time for him to go to the chair. His friend ask could he come and Say goodbye to his family.The judge said What you got to put up to show he’s coming back. His friend Say I’ll stay here if he don’t come Back in time you can kill me And his place. So the judge Let him go say goodbye to his Family. So the 2 weeks was up and The man hadn’t come back, so they was Get ready to kill his friend, but just Before they pull the plug, he knocked On the gate and said, I’m back

The judge said he come here to die for you, you came back to save him and die for yourself.You don‘t seem like no murder to me

I’m letting both of you go.

Thisladyshowmebigflowertree

Sheshowedbigplanflower

Sheshowbigredtree

Sheshowbigwatermelon

Shebigstringbean

Bighare

Bigapple

Iwashappyshegiveme

Sheshowmebigcollardgreens

-StevenM.

https://img.freepik.com/premium-photo/black-white-drawing-vegetable-stand-with-potted-plants-generative-ai_958078-78579.jpg

Andre R.

Under the RedwoodTree, I would sit in the shade in the summer and read. I would sit and sit under the redwood tree sometimes when it rained.

Now that I’m older, my children enjoy the shade and shelter of the redwood tree. I’m sure their grandchildren will enjoy that RedwoodTree. I have a lot of history with that redwood tree, and I’m sure other people and their families will have fond memories of that Redwood Tree.

Rock

UndertheRedwood Tree

IsacrificeallthatI have

AndallthatIamto make

Youhappy.

Eventhoughyounever onceasked

MeonehowIwas doingorhow

Ifelt.

The GivingTree

The GivingTree is like me being the only child with no brothers or sisters I was very spoil my mothers and fathers gave me every and anything in life. I was spoil rotten. So I got older I was drinking and druggin. I was spoil in other people in crack being freeheart It giving people crack and sex with women. Instead me tricking with women I was being trick spending all my money I giving all my money like the tree.

Thank you DarrylA.

Today I’m just grateful to have been able to see another one. My goal for today is to be appreciative of being able to see, walk, and talk. The small things are really the more things I should be aware of. I also will stay focused on the now and not get caught up in the worrying about my past failures, and choices I made but at the same time learn from them, and move on. Stay in the now and not in yesterday, one tomorrow!

The person I want to meet from history is Józef Piłsudski- person who founded independent state of Poland in 1818 and rules this country until his death in 1835. It was very difficult time in history. Europe was often The Great War which destroyed all societyandeconomicsystem. Everything had to be build from beginning. Germany and Soviet Union, neighbor countries, soon started preparing themselves to another war. I would ask him how he could see political situation and what he tried to do with that.After his death began second World War and it destroyed all Europe including Poland! I wish to know this was any solution avoidthathorriblyfutureonitmusthappened. Maybehecouldmakedifferentdecisionsthen Polish government ruined. I wish to know he did everything what possible or could do somethingelse.

Part II of my story about my two pitbull GG andTyson that live with me at St. NickolsAve in Harlem. Like I said in my story it is belly of the beast with dope fiends, crackheads, week smokers, alcoholic winded, cig is you can buy in the store or the streets. 75 cents in the store and 1 dollar in the streets. Cig can cost you cancer and can kill you. I know I caught a mini stroke last hear in September 23 in Washington Square Park I almost die I was scared.That why my BMs is bad. I cannot eat heavy or drink too much water, juice, tea, soda, etc. It will come out my body. So anyway how I got the 2 pitbull that live with my in my little room this crack dealer around the hood name juan that John in English just drop the 2 pitbull dogs on me. Didn’t said nothing to me. He play me like a crackhead He gave me a 9 dollars or 10 dollars there and just stop giving me crack. Juan John in English said the reason he stop giving me crack because I wasn’t taking care of the dogs right. Juan did tell me to feed the dogs dog food not human food make sure I have the dogs on a leash at all time so they won’t bite people or other dogs. Juan change the locks on my doors and he didn’t give me key to open my room I was locked out my room for 5 days I was lock out and dogs lock in I was sleeping outside the door at my room with 2 pillows on the floor so I will tell you Part III of my story of GG andTyson my two pit bulls so God bless the city, the country, and the world.

Thank you DarrylA.