My friend, Old Black Joseph.

"Come here nigga," he shouted! Then he looked down at me and yelled, "Catch that dog fo me boy...I give you a Coke!" It was hot and I sure would like me a Coke. I ran at the little white dog and he ran right between my legs. The old black man on the porch just laughed and yelled," you caint catch that dog, but you still gots a Coke if you want it."

That dog then ran right up to the old man and sat beside him. I kind of hung my head and walked up slow and stood by the porch rail. The old black man asked,"What yo name boy?" I looked up and answered,"Tom."

He looked a hundred and fifty years old. He had on a Cinncinnatti Reds baseball cap and wore a ragged green and red plaid shirt benath bib overalls. His face, weathered and deep wrinkled lines with a bronze haze.

He had painfully kind eyes. He gave me a big smile and asked, "Why you wearin' that cross round yo neck fo?" I stiffened a little and told him how I was going to be a preacher and serve the Lord. He laughed with a rasping cough and said, "Boy, don't you think, the last thing Jesus wants to see is another one of them crosses?" I immediately and defensively said,"This shows I love the Lord and I am a Christian!" He just grinned and said, "OK, OK boy, just take that thing off when you meet the Lord you preachin' fo."

He squirmed back in his old green wicker chair and said,"My name is Joseph and I am ninety seven years old, so how old is you?" I proudly said,"I'm almost twelve but folks say I look at least fourteen." He chuckled,"That you do boy, that you do." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigar. I mumbled nervously, "People go to hell for such things." He just gave me an honery grin and whispered loudly,"Least I won't be lookin' fo my matches there."

He lit the cigar and said,"Get yo coke out the ice box and sit a spell, talk to old Joseph." An old tin cooler with a bent lid was by the door. I opened it and saw a few Cokes and a bottle of Mogan David wine that was half empty. I thought to myself that this old turkey was sure to be fried by the devil himself. Joseph picked up his wooden cane and smacked it on the step and said," park yo butt and talk with me bout God." While opening the Coke on my belt buckle, I sat where he said to.

I asked him why he called his dog nigga? He laughed heartily and said,"Cause he got puppies all over town an he always come home fo a free lunch." I just had the feeling that I was supposed to save this old man before it was too late. With my chest a little puffed out I asked him, "Are you born again and do you accept Jesus as your personal savior?"

Joseph looked a up to the sky and then softly said to me,"Jesus ain't that son, Jesus is a way of life, he is kindness of yo smile, he is a tear when you need to cry and an ear when you need to talk, he sips wine with lonesome folks, he brings love to places where they ain't no love."

I found myself being mesmerized by this old man and his words. He took a short puff of his cigar and went on saying,"People wasn't made fo startin' religions and buildin' churches..they was made to take care of this po old earth and each other so that the Lord could have free spirited children." He hesitated for a moment and asked me,"Boy, what do you think heaven looks like?"

I said,"Well, it has golden streets, buildings of all kind of jewels, a temple where God sits on a throne, Angels and." He cut me off and laughingly said,"That aint no heaven, look at that tree across the street, the grass round it, flowers on Miss Finneys porch, blue sky, breeze and the smells of summer, now that's heaven boy!" The more old Joseph talked, the closer I came to his heart.

He gave me that ornery grin again and said,"The devil is the one who like all that fancy stuff you said, he need a throne, God don't, he is God, God need children and trees fo them to climb and cricks fo them to fish in, you cain't get no better heaven than fishin."

I took a couple swallows of my Coke and asked him,"How come you know so much about God and stuff from the bible?" Joseph cocked his head to the left and answered,"Son, I cain't even read, I listens to the world and I watch the little children to see Jesus...the gospel ain't in no book, the gospel is the Kingdom of Heaven that is in yo heart."

He patted the dog and said,"This mutt cain't read but he do what God made him to do, that is more than I can say fo most folks." With a worried look on my face, I asked,"Is religion and church wrong then?" Joseph laughed and said,"No, no child, it's not that they wrong, it is that they ain't right with God." He continued,"Man don't take care of the earth or each other, he don't do it in religion or church, he has all but destroyed the earth and expects God to make him another place."

Then he chuckled saying,"When Jesus comes back, folks got a lot of cleanin' up to do, yip it is time to straighten up the room cause the party is over!" I finished my Coke and told Joseph that I had to head home for supper. He smiled and the kindest eyes I have ever seen had two small tears as he spoke with the most peaceful voice,"I hopes you come back to see old Joseph, you welcome to my side of heaven anytime child."

I sat the bottle down by the cooler and as I walked away, the dog followed me to the sidewalk. I looked back up at Joseph and he grinned while saying,"Leave him be, he won't run off, goodbye Tom." I got about a half a block away from Josephs house, turned and saw a boy about my age running after the dog. I heard Joseph yell," catch that dog fo me boy...I give you a Coke!"