New York has the Naked Cowboy but by normal standards he is only slightly off. You find people like that pretty much in every city in the world. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, there has been an Uncle Sam for years. This is a guy dressed like Uncle Sam who sits on his in front of his building watching traffic go by.
Many years ago while on a trip through the Upper Penninsula there was a guy walking by the side of the road dressed as Jesus and carrying a cross. It is the random bits of life like this that give us pause. We see them, sometimes passing by quickly in our cars, and we question ourselves if we just saw what we think we had seen. Life seems stranger than fiction sometimes.
The bits and pieces today is Solid Form. A brief glimpse at one of these figments of our warped reality.
We don’t exist in any solid form. He wore the sign like a shield, blocking him
away from others. Marching up and down
the street, a few people stopped, offering him money or food. Most steered clear of him, afraid he might
infect them. Still he walked up and down
the street. He was oblivious to the
people around him. His long gray beard
darkened with dirt and grime swayed in the light breeze. His clothes, old and ratted, did little to
protect him from the wind and rain.
Still he walked.
A little girl, her hair in pigtails, light
freckles splayed across her cheeks, gently pulled at his coat. He walked, not seeing, not acknowledging her
presence. She tugged at his coat again
“Mister?”
He turned to her, looking through her, then
started walking again. She tugged harder
at his coat. “Mister, what does your
sign mean?” He stopped and looked at her
again. “Can’t you read?”
“Yes, I can read.” She tilted her head to the side. “What does it mean?”
He turned from her and started
walking. “It means, leave me alone.”
Oh WOW!. The really hit home for me. I think we all see individuals like that but rarely know how to react. Sometimes all they really want is to be left alone. We forget that some times. :-)
ReplyDeleteThey are just the part of the big spectacle that we call life.
DeleteAh yes, The Naked Cowboy! In my old hometown, the crazy uncle of one of my classmates attached large Disney murals all over the outside of his house that sat on the side of a hill, plus he fashioned a flying saucer on the very top. The town even sold postcards of it. I always though the would make an interesting character in a story based on his house alone.
ReplyDeleteI have always been a fan of street performers. I still haven't been to New York so haven't seen him in person. But I used to love spending time at Balboa park in San Diego and watching the street performers on the weekends.
DeleteI know what you mean by meeting new people who are different. Once when I was on Amtrak on the way home from school, I met a self-proclaimed hippie. He rolled his own cigarettes, traveled from one place to another with no house, and he even gave me a lighter before he left. The whole train loved him and it was a pretty crazy experience.
ReplyDeleteAlso, did you write that bit at the end? I really liked it and though it was very compelling.
I reserve one of my posts each week to showcase a bit of writing I have done. It may be a stand alone piece or a piece from something larger. Generally the stuff that makes it here is something that may never be seen anywhere else.
DeleteThank you for reading, I am glad you enjoyed the piece.
Powerful! It left me wanting to read more...
ReplyDeleteI'm always intrigued by the talented people who perform on the street. Floating around youtube was a video about a young violinist who performed for sold out shows at Carnegie Hall, who decided to perform at Grand Central station. Very few people stopped to listen and only one person recognized him (after 30 minutes). It was wild. And it made me notice the street performers a little more.
ReplyDeleteI like your writing style in your personal piece at the end. It's moving.
You honestly never know who you might run across when it comes to street performers.
DeleteInteresting post. I tend not to pay too much attention to strange people. I saw a man having an arguement with himself about 1 month ago. London is full of strange people. some are quite freindly while the majority just don't have time for people and want to be left alone.
ReplyDelete