Akalema Pherribo
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If you knew Akalema Pherribo, you liked him, and what’s more, you felt liked by him. When he beamed that smile of his at you and asked how you were doing, he truly wanted to know. He paid attention to everyone around him. He had the rare gift of making hundreds of people feel heard and seen. I worked with him for 18 years and sensed that personal regard from our first conversation.
Akalema’s smile was a blessing I came to expect. He was a beaming force field of appreciation, and the job, no matter how tedious, would be alright because we two would see it through, and laugh about it afterwards. That’s just how it was to be cast in the light of his “ordinary” attention.
As intense as his powers were as a “People Person” he was just as adept at being alone. In his long years as a bus driver, he dealt with the downside of split shift work by getting out in nature and reveling in it. He’d walk all over town mile after mile. He was a self-taught photographer of exceptional skill and you could see that those three hour jaunts between shifts were a way for him to gather up the Joy of Being. He’d celebrate the rare snowfall with extraordinary shots.
It’s so easy to play it safe and keep to the known. Akalema jumped into the unknown. Out in the world he traveled to England, Italy, China, and Hong Kong. He was bold and curious and just standing next to him you felt bolder and more curious. It was the Akalema Effect.
Now, for his final journey he’s chosen to lie in Nature, right at the edge of the woods, looking out onto a vast field of wildflowers, alongside trails built by birdwatchers and bus drivers. His inviting smile beaming in our memories, has lost not an iota of its force nor light.
Akalema’s smile was a blessing I came to expect. He was a beaming force field of appreciation, and the job, no matter how tedious, would be alright because we two would see it through, and laugh about it afterwards. That’s just how it was to be cast in the light of his “ordinary” attention.
As intense as his powers were as a “People Person” he was just as adept at being alone. In his long years as a bus driver, he dealt with the downside of split shift work by getting out in nature and reveling in it. He’d walk all over town mile after mile. He was a self-taught photographer of exceptional skill and you could see that those three hour jaunts between shifts were a way for him to gather up the Joy of Being. He’d celebrate the rare snowfall with extraordinary shots.
It’s so easy to play it safe and keep to the known. Akalema jumped into the unknown. Out in the world he traveled to England, Italy, China, and Hong Kong. He was bold and curious and just standing next to him you felt bolder and more curious. It was the Akalema Effect.
Now, for his final journey he’s chosen to lie in Nature, right at the edge of the woods, looking out onto a vast field of wildflowers, alongside trails built by birdwatchers and bus drivers. His inviting smile beaming in our memories, has lost not an iota of its force nor light.
Dave Deming
Bluestem thanks Akalema's family and friends for their generous presence and the privilege of being a part of his final act.
All photography by Kallyn Boerner.
