Another installment of “The Gods Are Bored,” writing-with-my-phone edition!
This is my friend Rocky Wilson. Throughout my decades of writing this blog, I have always called him The Monkey Man. Here he is, holding his monkey. The monkey’s name is Bongo.
Rocky is a living legend in South Jersey. I’m not going to confine his fame to Camden, where generations of schoolchildren have loved him, or Haterfield, where he grew up. Dude is adored everywhere.
I mean, look at the photo. Captures him perfectly. He’s just adorable, case closed.
On a fateful Friday the 13th last December, Rocky was crossing a street in a shore town to go take a polar plunge in the mighty Atlantic. He was hit and flattened by a car, breaking numerous bones but not even denting his spirit. He’s in rehab now, and I have gone to see him a number of times.
I found out about Rocky’s injuries on Facebook, because - like so many other friends - I had let him drift. But his plight galvanized me to be better about connecting authentically.
Couldn’t have chosen a better friend to do this with. The last time I went to see him, he had me in stitches as he described life on a Vermont commune, presumably in the late 1960s. He might have lost a step or two with a broken hip, but his wit is as sharp as ever.
You should see the stack of get-well cards this guy got! Numbering in the hundreds, with more arriving every day. People are driving over from Philly, and up from the shore, to see him.
Tomorrow the Philadelphia Eagles will be honored with a Super Bowl parade. I am dying to go, but the logistics are daunting, and from being a Mummer I know well what boozy Philly crowds can be like. Instead of going to the parade, I think I will take Rocky a cheesesteak and watch it with him. The parade, that is. Not the cheesesteak.
Beauty of it is, Rocky got pretty pulverized in that accident, but he is bouncing back. Commune life circa 1969 will do that for you. A very hardy guy, my Monkey Man.
There’s so much to write about, so many bored Gods to interview! I’ve got to get busy with my pies and tea.
Rocky first, though. He may not be a God, but I would lay odds that he’s a Titan.
3 comments:
He's an inspiration in so many ways! Glad he's okay and in rehab recovering from that terrible accident. I wish him all the best!
Oh my goddess! that poor man! i'm so glad he survived and is thriving and doing well. best wishes for a speedy recovery!
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What a survivor! Great idea to take him a cheesesteak and watch the parade on tv. Two birds, there.
I'll bet he's been delighted to see you back in his life.
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