"Painted August: Notes from the Edge"

Wilfredo, a sculptor from Peekskill, highlights the importance of healthcare during the Trump era while addressing the crowd at the 50th Anniversary of Sun River Health in Pugsley Park.

With everything happening in Peekskill over the weekend, I was surprised that the writing impulse—fiction, the real kind—swept in and took hold. Blog entries and updates? Just practice. Discipline. Style. Pacing. Character development. All that jazz. But this time something deeper stirred, and I’m more excited than ever about the final reimagining of Painted People. Zeno and Abel are speaking again.  Just a teaser, for now:

“The rain was relentless, a dull smear over the white façade of the Erikson house. Zeno Eliot sat inside, knees drawn up on the living room steps, lost in the moan of Santana's Samba Pa Ti and the soft percussion of rain against glass. The music helped—until it didn’t.

He blinked at the water streaking down the pane, thinking of the Tea Room in the Tenderloin. That crumbling theater, the stench of wet coats and sweat, the porn film flickering on the big screen while anonymous men leaned forward, breathless. He remembered the blond--the blond—how they kissed on the cracked tile of the bathroom floor, surrounded by sounds and silence. Abel had never matched that moment, not really. Not in heat or in heart.

He shut off the stereo abruptly, the silence sharper than the music. Abel was just another ghost in the gallery. Matthew Rae was another. Charleston still stung..."

That’s all I’ll say. No more story talk until it’s done.

Despite my return to writing, I did venture out. Saturday began at the Farmers Market, which was more echoes than abundance by the time I arrived. No tomatoes, no eggs—not the ones I wanted, anyway. I settled for green tomatoes and picked up eggs at C-Town.

Sun River Health was celebrating its 50th anniversary at Pugsley Park. I wandered over after hearing music and spotting balloons. WIlfredo—a familiar face at Sun River, a talented sculptor, and a steady presence—was speaking about access to healthcare, especially now, for immigrants and undocumented folks living under the shadow of ICE. He spoke with clarity and courage. It’s a chilling reality, this era we’re in, where the country of Freedom feels increasingly unfree. Diversity and love feel performative at best.

A band played—César, I believe, or maybe that was the name of the lead guitarist. The songs were in another language but still made me sway. I took photos, scanning for the most evocative scenes. The park teemed with tents and vendors and families; the heat was tempered by the crispness of Friday night’s chill.

Three food trucks lined the far end of Howard Street. The hot dog truck had the longest line, no surprise there.

Sunday, after another stretch of writing, I walked past Whiskey River. Tempting to step inside and see friends, but I didn’t. I knew one drink, one laugh, would dissolve my creative momentum. Discipline, again. Instead, I roamed the Flea Market—just browsing, just observing, just seeing. Took pictures. Bought nothing. But was glad others were buying. If everyone browsed like I did, there’d be no point to a Flea Market. No point to revitalization.

Downtown Peekskill keeps trying. So do I.

A  Peekskill Weekend in Photos

A Peruvian band performed at the 50th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, August 2.

A face in the crowd that caught the photographer's eye, leaving an impression that went beyond mere appearance.

A joyful moment at Sun River Health's 50th Anniversary Celebration in Pugsley Park on Saturday, August 2.