A Side of Maslow

You alert regular readers may have noted that I am now peddling Real Change T-shirts in an ad in this rag. And you may have also troubled yourselves to read the copy of that ad, written by Timothy "Pith Personified" Harris, our director, and wondered what was meant by my "geeking it up with my internet writer buddies."

I'll be getting to that, but first I want to talk about Maslow.

Mention Maslow to the average homeless person and he/she will probably guess you are talking about a city in Poland, or a new side dish available at KFC. He/she will not imagine that Maslow has any connection to his/her life.

Oh but he does. The theories of the psychologist Maslow as taught and *understood* by sociology students have an huge influence on how the homeless are treated by social service workers. The trouble is, they don't understand Maslow's theories. They take his ideas regarding the "hierarchy of needs" (that lower needs, such as for food and security must be met before a person can pursue higher needs) and apply them without any real comprehension. This is where the inane idea comes that all that the homeless can use are food and shelter, *they are not ready for anything more*.

So anyway, here I am, HOMELESS, geeking it up with my internet writer buddies, ACTIVELY pursuing higher needs for friendship, self-esteem and creativity. Gosh, maybe I should go back to school and learn my place in the Socio-Scientific Universe?

A Poem From Hunger

(A Sarcasm In Four Verses)

I have nothing to say!

I haven't eaten all day!

Yeah, I AM a starvin' man!!!

Can't deal with stress nor feet

Till I get me somethin' to eat!

Please!! Feed the starvin' man!!!

I cannot do art

No poem can I start

Until after I'm fed, man!

And I could have nothing to say,

in any self-expressional way,

because I am a poor pathetic starving man.

So what do I do with my internet writer buddies? Well for example, recently the question came up among them, "What is poetry? How is it distinguished from prose?" Actually the question arose three different times on two email lists for writers. Each time I offered variations of this.

Poetry and Prose

by © Dr. Wes Browning

Poetry and Prose:

the oranges and yellows

in a jumbo box of crayons.

There are poetry and prose and prose poetry and poetic prose

and prosish poetry and stranger things with odd names like

rants and chants and marigold and corn.

Lay them all out.

Arrange them by rules

See them change gradually

from left to right.

Blend them.

Then arrange them randomly.

Then start over again,

pretending it's all new.