subway story

today
en route to W 54th st
audition
i sat
on crowded train

my new mecca
the subway
former hate/hate relationship
has evolved into an almost love/love one
best deal around
best people watching available
best place to compose or gather thoughts

but the n,r train
not my favorite of the bunch
been spoiled by the 6
i'm a 6-er kinda guy
today
dark
cramped
stinky
nowhere good to sit

mostly just trying to clench up my nostrils
as i thought to myself
where is that stench coming from?
this man beside me?
it has to be
like grandfather & sweat
this smell

it was official
i did not like this train

a rowdy groups of psuedo thugs barreled in
we are now officially packed
elbow to elbow
oblivious
is not something i'm used to being
always on guard
the way i was programmed
but the woman to my right
the one who had been inspecting her various
dean & deluca yogurts
since prince st
had bugged me to the point of checking out
mentally

just focus on the audition
focus on the audition
don't think of lady calorie check
or lord i think i shit my pants

"YO YO YO!"
i exaggerate,
but something like this rang through the crowd
it didn't take long for me to snap out of my trance
and realize that
the yo yo yo
was directed at me
"YO YO YO! Dude gotta present for ya!"
and my face clenched even tighter
as a piece of white paper was passed
through the train
and over my way

turning it around in my hands
i realized that the thick white sheet
contained a drawing of me
in ink

instantly embarassed
i looked around the crowd
to see from whom this came
a smiling black man
i'd noticed
but somehow managed to
not notice
was noticing me
grinned
and gave a quick wave

"if you like it please tip"
was written along the left hand side of the page
he looked back down to his clipboard & paper
and an awkward
i guess i need to tip him now, feeling
moaned through my head
aware of the oddity in the situation
and how everyone
everyone
was staring at me
smiling
waiting to see how i'd react

pulling a bill from inside my wallet
and still as embarrassed as ever
i asked the man next to me
to pass the money over
as i was too frozen
to move from where i sat

smiling back at me
once again
the artist gave a nod
and it was only after he had moved on
to start drawing the other passengers
that i was able to really look at what he'd given me

well, he sure captured my disdain for the smell
was the first thought
and
my eyebrows aren't quite THAT thick
was probably the second

a few stops ahead
as i readied myself to leave the train
the artist having already managed to ambush several others
with his talent
originality
and warmth
i stood
slightly in awe of him
and he said "thank you" to me as i passed
so after asking his name
"orin"
i said thank you back

overcome with an emotion i couldn't quite describe
aware of the gifts this man was giving people
the feeling of being noticed
the feeling of being the subject for a real, live portraitist
the feeling of being beautiful
if only for a stop or two
on the dark
cramped
stinky
nowhere good to sit
n,r train

good lord
i exhaled
LONG LIVE THE ARTIST
he will save us all