gotta go gotta go gotta go right now.

there i was with my oversized box of photo paper and two backpacks sitting on main and hastings smelling the pungent air of old tent, stale booze, and rotten body odor. I had been waiting at the stop for nearly half an hour, but by the lower east side standards that's nearly three days. i was watching all the people go by followed by a rather round native lady saying "excuse me" in the softest voice, as if she was nine, and slumped down on the bus stop bench. I then heard a deep cavernous growl which turned out to be her letting out a long, full fledged beer burp, followed by her nine year old voice, "excuse me" and a laugh that I couldn't help but joining in. She used her cell phone and left. A bus came by, not mine, and did the transaction of people. A man wearinga grey tank shirt was dragging a totally inebriated native lady who was half his size and missing half her teeth. She couldn't stand or sit up without the aid of a wall, arm, or a solid object. The man said his name was either "Power" or "Five" ( i cannot remember which) and pounded my fist with his own as if setting this mess next to me was a gift I should be thankful to receive. To my surprise, after she finally got comfortable sitting next to me, he left, leaving the woman next to me, squirming and mumbling to herself. I noticed she had spill stains all over her shirt, and pants. She did manage to attain enough energy and balance to put on her jacket and then fall back down on the bench. This must have strained something, or released a valve or kickstarted something normally controllable by most humans because she raised her legs apart in the child birthing manner and released steaming urine splattering through her jeans and onto the pavement, that was already covered in spit, moldy chewing gum and articles of trash. I slowly stood up and crept to the street and stood starting in the direction of the bus, waiting with the sound of pattering water in the background.

july 28th 2008