August 22nd, 2009. 4 Days After My Birthday. 3 Days after things at home became Undone. I was kinda Sad but...

I Met a Woman Who Exalted Me For More Dreams I Can't Conceive of Yet.

My time was free to do as I choose now that it was finally the second weekend here. I went to the library with all the time in the world. I could lock myself in here for 48 hours and finally catch up with all of what I meant to do. And so I got ready for the projex, and to map out all of what I was aiming to write of and upload. Before I began, I was in the 24/7 library lab and a woman came to me and said,

“Are you Crum?”

“Yeah, I am…”

Apparently she knew me ahead of time or perhaps heard about me. She spoke to me of how there is an open mic night here in St. Thomas and that I am wanted to speak Slam poetry or free speech. It seems people hear me and the way I talk and they want to bring me to places and show me new faces. This woman’s name is Rachelle and she is a faculty member for the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts of Virgin Islands Big Read Committee. Once a month, people seize microphones for fun and the fine arts. She wanted to know of my interest in this. And of course, I went into her office and she started to know who I was within 15 to 20 minutes of us speaking with one another.

She told me that the Woman who conducts this event once a month in St. Thomas is actually a daughter of 2 professors here. And she spoke of creativity. For her to speak to ME of creativity, I told her what I do and who I am. Some of the things I told her made her feel chills. She said so and showed me. I told her I have always been into music, poetry, writing, movies, and media in general. That I kinda thrive on it. She says people get up there and express themselves and that I would honestly be astonishing at a place like that. I have no idea what it is like, or how big it is at all. Apparently it is one of the most celebrated events in St. Thomas. I reflected on my life thus far, just being here for almost 2 weeks. I also showed her my internet about Crumin’ all over the Virgin Islands. She said it was amazing how faces come to this place and meet people here that draw a lot out of someone. I told her I want to speak to the President. She said, “Wow. You do?” I said “Yeah, I do, and he knows it too. I looked him in his eyes and told him I’d see and meet with him again when I shook his hand and took a picture with him. And that I also met the Governor.”

She said it was incredible that the Universe brought me to this place because she acknowledged how spiritual or spirited I am and I guess the things I spoke and the notions I provoked made her feel chills. She said that for me of all people to be here, here and now, spirituality is something that is absent here. So she was very supportive and honored for my presence at this place. And as I showed her my Virgin Island Internet book, I told her technically it was called a blog, but after I almost died and got frightened of my writings never being known if 5 minutes was any different then when I damn near lost my life, I explained that I let the internet let me take matters into my own hands because I got tired of waiting on publication companies to put me through the door for creating a real book. And that I cast it all online and let it be there forever. She felt more chills and told me that I just gave her the idea she was looking for for a long time because they wanted to come up with a way to suggest online journals. And it was there in front of her after I typed it in the net’s address bar. She has been meaning to share such a concept with her colleagues here at UVI because the idea that came from my example describes my internet books to be online diaries, journals, transcriptions, or records of my travels and adventures. I explained that I have hundreds of hours of video footage for my video diaries about my travels and adventures between Ireland and the Virgin Islands. She expressed how impressed she was. She immediately put my email address through to the powerful people involved in all these ideas. People who were either of fellow faculty connects, or the woman that is the master mind behind open mic nights once a month here in St. Thomas. She wants me to meet them and she described me to them to be a interesting student.

And more so, I SHOWED her that I almost died because they was only words until I lifted my shirt. As she seen my scar and dropped her jaw, also noticing the staple holes too, she thought it was long ago. I told her it wasn’t. I told her this happened to me just four months ago. She was baffled but amazed. I said it occurred in April on the 19th. Things became amplified at this moment because she was like, “And only after 4 months coming that close to not living at all, you’re HERE… NOW…” I guess it was a truth that was passed off as something indescribably powerful. I told her I was in Ireland before I got here. I also told her about what happened with me having to leave certain things behind that mean a lot, regarding the wishes that were just as valid to me as these Caribbean dreams. I acknowledged how I got torn in a tug-or-war between 2 things that I never knew could come true and that I still believe it could possibly be fate that I came to these islands anyways. Me finding out there was a Crum Bay at the place I chose out of all the decisions I would decide to travel to in the WORLD, it clinched this notion of fate. I never really gave thought to things like destiny and fate until I learned what I retained in Ireland as a student at the Institution of Art, Design, and Technology in the suburbs and outskirts of Dublin when was in Ireland. CRUM BAY…. And that tripped me out. She said, “Everything happens for a reason.”

She wanted to give me a book to read and I told her I’d love to read it but I have a lot on my plate right now to try and keep up with. Then she became initially hesitant until I assured her that I would be honored to accept any book as a gift because even though I don’t read well because I have eccentric psychological conditions, I seem to collect more books that consume. And that I already have a library because in my eyes, just like an IPOD can reflect a lot about someone – somewhat as a really remarkable reference – books seem to share the same affect. A library of books could be an excellent insight into who someone is. Even if I can’t read as many as I’d really like to. She gave me a book about the event of this open mic nights and how it really exploded with hopes that were just as tangible as realities. It was written by someone who went to these same open mic nights and became so incredibly inspired that they felt compelled to write this book about what it meant, and how it opened a whole other world or realm of passions to pursue. I told her I’d be more than willing to take the microphone into my hands and speak of my life in my rhythm or way with words. She was very pleased and encouraging of these responses.

She also discovered what my tattoo was about and why it is there till I am not anymore… This woman seemed to be a gateway to even more dreams I know nothing of at this point.