An Ax Handle, also called a haft, has five parts: the Eye, the Shoulder, the Belly, the Throat, and the Knob.
ALL we wanted was to be served lunch at the whites-only lunch counter Inside a F.W. Woolworth five-and-dime store In Jacksonville, Florida, an ax handle's throw from the Atlantic Ocean, where white beach patrons baked themselves dark in the August 27, 1960 sun.
ALL we wanted was to be served lunch Just another Saturday, where shoppers shop up and down Main Street White people here Black people there Everyone knows their lane No one crosses.
An illustrated diagram explaining the geometry and parts of a traditional American axe handle.
The diameter of the ax handle should feel comfortable in your hand, allowing you complete control of your aim as it moves up, down, and around.
ALL we wanted was to be served lunch.
THE white server with pink cat eyeglasses smacking gum square pink kerchief pinned above her left breast with a nameplate Her name is Sue Loudly announcing Colored people are not served at the Whites-Only lunch counter.
ALL we wanted was to be served lunch.
THE beefy white manager With the white shirt skinny black tie white socks black shoes black pants Get the hell to the back where you belong His fat fingers jabbing at the Colored-only lunch counter
OR maybe You belong out there Jabbing at the growing white mob outside.
Now, you use hickory wood; it's tougher than nails, versatile, strong, and durable.
ALL we wanted was to be served lunch.
Image by A.I.
TWO HUNDRED white rioters
armed with baseball bats and ax handles
Threatened
chased
and beat us
That Saturday on an August day
The one with a bad case of pimples
was the first one
S M A C K
C R A C K
B O O M
D O O M
Swung that ax handle
Like it was his favorite baseball bat
Laughing
His pimples are about ready to explode
on his red-faced head with the blond crew cut
His puckered mouth spilling spit
down his red neck with words
that pierced our souls as he
S M A C K E D
My back with an ax handle
often called a haft
C R A C K E D
My skull with an ax handle
with five parts
the Eye
the Shoulder
the Belly
the Throat
and the Knob
B O O M E D
down on my body with an ax handle
made of an extremely durable Hickory wood
D O O M E D
me to a wheelchair for life
with an ax handle
tougher than nails
versatile
strong
gives and takes the abuse
All the while feeling comfortable in his hands.
ALL we wanted was to be served lunch.
My life has been a rollercoaster of experiences, from The Bronx to Washington, D.C., to Hartford, Connecticut, and Los Angeles, California—first as a seminarian studying to become a priest, then as a local and national community organizer, a radio host and producer, a journalist and producer across radio and television, a government bureaucrat, a youth mentor, and a small business consultant. Beyond those roles, I’ve also tried my hand at being a jewelry vendor, a motorcycle courier, an airport shuttle driver, and a bartender at a German alpine-themed bar.
I recently suffered a mild stroke that upended my life and derailed my writing goals. However, anyone who knows me will tell you that life will have to come at me even harder if it thinks it can stop me.
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