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by Willie Warren
I once joined a group,
On a Summer of ’93 day;
We challenged City Hall,
And whatever came our way.
Food Not Bombs we were,
Rebels for all to see;
One guy matched my cool,
He was only five foot three.
Shaved head and dark eyes,
Short legs and little hands;
Big heart and eye glasses
Doc Martens and plaid strands.
Known then as the Hobbit,
Cook and drove regularly;
Dubbed as a pillar of strength,
I saw him as J.T. .
When I left Food Not Bombs,
He stayed on at their side;
Saving their face and character,
Until he felt someone lied.
Slowly drifted away from them,
Like the flight of a dove;
Leaving behind partnerships,
And the loss of a love.
Pushing forward with his wound,
To an office without suits;
Got a job different from,
Early years and Vallejo roots.
Helping people fight back, .
When a landlord becomes a jerk;
Showing people protective ways,
And Eviction Defense Network.
They say that time heals wounds,
But they never say how fast;
Challenging his inner strength,
Placing his wound in his past.
His defending caliber had grown,
Through hardships and distortions;
His reputation had empired,
Up to gigantic proportions
Time passed on as usual,
And gave our lives changes;
He saw his vision created,
I saw better salary ranges.
In between our work schedules,
We’d meet and all would see;
A little guy saying, "Yo Willie,’
A big guy saying, "J.T.."
Maybe we’d have a few minutes,
But then, we’re on our way;
Staying in touch was easy,
But meeting had gone astray.
Again, time passes as usual,
Leaving one no worse for wear;
He had grown a few inches,
And I had grown gray hair.
Switching jobs, he got lucky,
His income suffered no pause;
The Coalition On Homelessness,
Drafted him to a greater cause.
Involvement in other groups,
Is where he found his proof;
In 2000 he started one,
It’s called Right To a Roof.
To write this poem about him,
Takes vibes of a straight shooter;
Unknown to him I wrote this,
At his desk on his computer.
To get this info correct,
I had to see him in action;
I joined his group to help keep,
City Government’s ass in traction.
He definitely shows leadership,
In homeless endeavors and such
He’s a humble Vallejo guy,
And thinks he talks too much.
His birth name, James Tracy,
He’s cool and will always be;
A roaddog, partner, and brother,
And always my homey, J.T
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