Parable of Girl Ignut of Men

Parable of Girl Ignut of Men

There was a girl who didn't know men. Her mother and father were too busy doing drugs, so they didn't have time to teach her about men or anything else. In fact, they abandoned her, so she grew up in foster care.

She was diagnosed manic depressive but went faithfully to her therapist, even though it was a white person located in a rich area of town. But most of the time the girl seemed to stay balanced, although there were times when she talked out of her head.

When she was on the streets and ran into Plato Negro, he just listened to her rant out of her mind. When she was more normal, he assisted her anyway he could. She adopted him as her father and called him Papa. He didn't mind since many of the street children adopted him as Papa. He would talk with them and try to counsel them whenever possible, give them guidance as young people in a hostile world.

He even gave them money on occasion, micro loans and/or grants. One young lady told him it was her birthday but she didn't have money to eat with her relatives who wanted to take her out but she had to pay for her meal because her relatives were too poor, even though they wanted to celebrate her birthday. Since she had a birthday balloon in her hand, he gave her a few dollars.

At the time Plato Negro met the girl ignut of men, she was 16. She wanted to be a dancer, so he tried to connect her with choreographers and dance instructors. They agreed to work with her though she never connected with them. She did go to the drum circle at the Berkeley Flea Market and dance in the middle of the circle. This took a lot of nerve so Plato Negro was proud to see her improvising in the middle of the circle.

Time passed.

Plato Negro did not see her for a long time. He wondered what happened to her. He thought about checking at the mental hospital where so many young people frequent from time to time.
He has visited them at the hospital that is full of young people from all ethnic groups, including Arab and Chinese, though most are black.

Finally, he saw her one day coming across the street downtown. She said she didn't come downtown much anymore because she moved to the east side. She was now 18 and out of foster care. Actually, she was living with a man, in love and didn't want Papa to hug her.

Plato Negro didn't push, he was happy she was alive. We know what happens to young girls in the street. Some are seriously abused. Some victims of homicide. She went on her way and he didn't see her again for awhile.

One day she appeared, he tried to hug her but she resisted, but this time it wasn't because she was in love, she was "out of love." Her boyfriend had gotten access to her bank account and robbed her of eleven thousand dollars. She was devastated because she loved him so much. Also, she'd had an abortion. Her relationship was over and she was in the process of filing charges against the older man for taking her money.

She said she had learned a lesson, the lesson her mother and father were too busy to teach her about men.
--Marvin X
4/14/10