While waiting for my bus on main street, I watched many people walking by. There was one man who lifted the lid of a city trash receptacle, took out a bunch of "Timmy's" cups, and proceeded to "roll up the rim to win". He grinned wildly, looked over at me sitting on the transit bench and and said "free coffee and a doughnut"! Next, he placed a stone on the curb by nudging it with his foot, then kicked it into oncoming traffic. He snickered as it hit a vehicle's hub cap with a "ting"!
Next, an elderly lady walked by. She had a walker/cart that was missing a wheel, and squeaked as it moved. She had one shoe with a thick sole, presumable to counter a shorter leg. The combined sound of her clip clop, and squeak was like music to me. I couldn't help but to watch in fascination, paying close attention to the cart and shoes, the objects that made the sounds. It made me think of the patterns that go unnoticed around us, how we are often out of sync with the rest of the world, trying to clap out our own rhythms. It made me think that even in the face of immense struggle, there are people who just keep clip clopping along to the beat. Then my bus came and my little introspective metaphor moment vanished.
Look at the picture.
cart and shoe
16 comments:
cbc article re 91 year old woman killed in hit and run? that's the link...
p.s. nice piece of writing btw. very visual and descriptive.
oh... golly. the cart's missing a wheel...
"trying to clap out our own rhythms."
That's something to think about. Thanks for sharing.
poor woman. were you there dave?
Great story David. easy to get a visual and poetic.
Similarly, sometimes I feel like I'm in a David Lynch movie when I walk into a Tim's in Downtown Winnipeg. There is a layer of society there that you don't see anywhere else.
ANd this kind've stuff might be this group of people's everyday, and if you walk into it you're bound to find some strangeness, especially because it's not your everyday.
I find the same thing when I'm in a group of people that I'm comfortable with and a person from 'the outside' steps in. The fun part is realizing the differences and why, and quite possibly how strange 'the inside' can really be.
That link's comments are interesting(and sometimes weird). A lot of back and forth bickering, I thought I was on ALFA for a second. harhar
We are on ALfA, it's just now called BETA, and one day likely THetA.
Great writing Marci.
Clip clopp, clip clopping along.
yeah, whatever.
does nobody get that this woman died? last night on main street? maybe a little more sensitivity might be in order?
don't mean to sound preachy and i mean no offense I just think we might be missing the point here.
I see the meatwheel Krahn. A sad, and prevalent story, filled with rage, but also beauty.
I wasn't present during the incident. My only connection is that I saw her a few days earlier (I think), and for some strange reason I remembered her more than the other hundreds of people I saw. Then the shoes and cart are in the picture, it was one of those coincidences that seem like they have a deeper meaning. For all I know it could be a different platform shoe, 3 wheel cart-woman that I saw on Main street, but I doubt it. All the people we walk by on the street, have personalities and lives, and we don't REALLY know just what our relationships might be with them.
The flutter of a butterflies wing can cause a typhoon.
'Clapping out one's own rhythm' got me thinking.
I remember once Andrew brought his guitar to painting class with Jeff Funnell. I was working on a scratch board I think. Something with a sound as I marked. Andrew played us some of his lovely music, and at the end Jeff was giving me the stink eye. I asked him what the problem was and he said, sort of bewildered, shrugging "you were scratching on that thing, and weren't going to the music, you were off-timing, why would you do that?!". I explained that I didn't want to appear to be attempting to contribute to the music (feeling unqualified mostly). I fear this didn't make much sense to Jeff... and now, it doesn't make much sense to me either. I should have gone with it.
Krahn, I think we realize that. Just like there was also a stabbing outside the low pub. the world is ugly.
I'd say 81 is pretty good, wouldn't you?
And the news sensationizes the death of an old woman, hurray, maybe autopac will buy the rights and use it for one of there fucking speed kills commercials.
James, there's no need to swear.
sorry, got a little excited. f*ck. especially when the media sensationalizes tragedy
this is a great piece of writing dave. beautiful metaphor.
In a way, it honours this women and unfortunately her untimely death.
May she rest in peace.
and sometimes a little preaching is in order brother Krahn. I think it needed to be said.
Agreed. sorry if anyone felt judged.
smiley face emoticon here.
James come Jame at the Tygr's Langside Lair tommorow (thursday) night. show on friday.
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