how have i not written about him?!!

I can't seem to find any history of him in my blog, and I'm not exactly sure how i've never written about this, so forgive me if i have, because this is something that makes me love New York so much.

When i first moved to my apartment on 110th every night around 10/10:30 i could hear the sounds of a male voice shouting, always inaudible. Not angry words, or even words connected to a person not all there, but words that sounded, to me, like counting....kind of like The Count from Sesame Street. One, Two, Three. I envisioned a giant game of hide-and-seek taking place, but the same person doing all the counting. As it grew later in the evening I couldn't hear it and i just assumed the game was over. Some evenings I'd be walking down the street and could hear it, but not see or make sense of the voice. Some nights I'd be in my apartment and i'd open my windows wide leaning way out scanning the street for the mysterious voice.This went on for weeks, maybe even months. NOTHING!

One night, i think in March of '08, i was walking home and I passed an older African American man holding a handful of pamphlets and pulling a cart of bibles and religious materials, "PRAISE the lord", "OPEN your heart" "WELcome jesus" was blaring from his mouth. THIS was the mysterious voice....a man not playing hide-and-seek(are we really surprised?), but preaching to the street. I wanted to jump for joy having solved the mystery. I almost wanted to tell him i had subcontiously waited for him nightly, but didn't want him to get the wrong impression. His voice and presence brought such comfort (and an almost alarm clock type of consistency) to my evenings.

Now that i know who he is and what he's saying I'm not waiting like i had previous for his voice in an attempt to solve the mystery. But tonight on my walk home from dinner i heard his voice and realized that soon i would be leaving this neighbourhood and the soothing, yet smile inducing voice of the man trying to convert me to his religion.