Guatemala To Goa On A Zimmerframe : Volume 2, India

By West, Jim, William

Book Id: WPLBN0004451105
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 27.56 MB
Reproduction Date: 19/11/2016

Title:	Guatemala To Goa On A Zimmerframe : Volume 2, India
Author:	West, Jim, William
Volume:	Volume 2, India
Language:	English
Subject:	Non Fiction, Bibliography, India
Collections:	Authors Community, Biographies
Historic Publication Date:	2016
Publisher:	Sherwood

Member Page:	Jim West
Citation APA MLA Chicago William West, B. J. (2016). Guatemala To Goa On A Zimmerframe : Volume 2, India. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
Rapid transition from conservative University of Toronto student to freak, playing ‘Cops and Robbers’ in the Mexican jungle. Note: If you wish to hear the audio, which is embedded in this pdf, open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. It is free and very good.

Summary
In 1946, at the age of one, I contracted Polio. Suddenly, a world of infinite possibilities collapsed in upon me. Everything was now a struggle: breathing, lifting my arms, learning to walk. Nothing came easily. And the suffering wasn’t just physical. Gradually, I learned about rejection. The subtle, and not so subtle messages that society delivers to the weak and deformed. To protect myself, walls went up. This meant that in various ways I was also emotionally paralysed. Wasn’t a promising start, but nevertheless, my life has been remarkable. I played many sports with a vengeance, engaged in petty crime for years, excelled at school and University, bought, sold and consumed drugs. Crossed and re-crossed continents, eluding police from Mexico to India. At twenty-eight, I abruptly changed direction, and by doing so was able to help many others. Now, at the end of an event filled life, how do I feel towards the Polio virus which attacked that soft and innocent child those many years ago? Well, life hasn’t been easy, but it sure has been interesting. Perhaps I should thank that microbe for its blind Benevolence?

Excerpt
I’m in a sheltered cove, tripping on LSD. It’s a soft, warm night, perfect for frisking. I run about, taking off my clothes, which disappear, blending perfectly with whatever they land upon, rocks, sand or seaweed. Behind me, my feet leave long lines of slowly fading, phosphorous green footprints. A bit later, it’s getting cool, and I’ve ‘lost’ my clothes: can’t see them anywhere. Fortunately, as I snatch at a nearby cactus it turns into my T-shirt. Then my trousers emerge from the sand. And so it goes, a joyous shopping trip. Finally, I find my sleeping bag, tucked against the cliff face. Powerful chemical fingers draw me down, and in. There are deep, primal lessons to be learned, as I curl in my nest by the sea. Then a searchlight hits me from above. It’s the cops, out on night patrol. I take off running along the bay, which is now transformed, into a long, curved, riot of rainbow colors. I’ve never felt this free. Ahead, a narrow ledge leads out into the sea and around a point. This is home territory and I know every inch of it. On the other side, I climb the cliff and crab like, stuff myself into a crevice. The cops aren’t going to follow me here. Now that I’m safe, my world ripples and dissolves. Later, a new day dawns, tinged with warmth, hope, and sadness. I find my sleeping bag, and walk home, passing friends along the way. If the police want me, they’re gonna have to be a lot sharper.

Table of Contents
Note: If you wish to hear the audio, which is embedded in this pdf, open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. It is free and very good. ( This pdf includes maps, photographs, letters and diary extracts )