"I Saw the Best Souls of my City" by Wayne Martin Mellinger
.[. ’ I SAW THE BEST SOULS OF MY CITY Final Version for the 13th Longest Night Wayne Martin Mellinger, Ph.D. Steps of the Courthouse, 21 December 2025 Dedicated to Timothy John Largent, age 31, from Bakersfield, who just wanted to quiet the voices in his head and ended up dead. ══════════════════════════════════════════════════ SECTION I: WITNESS Seeing the Sacred in the Thrown-Away I saw the best souls of my city standing in line at Ralph ’ s at dawn with pockets full of loose change and faded food-stamp cards, arguing gently over whether to buy coffee or bread, whispering psalms under flickering fluorescent lights, anointing cracked hands with jojoba and baby oil, passing a blunt like a peace pipe on a bench at El Presidio...