Dr. Larry Love

By Phil Temples

I glance at his photograph on my wall: an old, African-American man with frizzy white hair, dressed in a school crossing guard uniform, carrying plastic batons and a toy fire engine. He’s posed majestically, larger than life, against a deep, blue sky. He skates up and down Massachusetts Avenue pretending to direct traffic. He’s a good skater, very athletic, and ripped for his age. Occasionally a driver honks at him, or yells for him to get out of the street. The police leave him be. They know that he’s harmless. He campaigned for Mayor of Cambridge once. I voted for him.