“Just
hold there for just a minute” said the voice of a stranger
Just
as I was about to enter my car at The Mall car park in Long Circular
I
turned to see an un-combed skinny man, who looked like a spranger
With pencil and paper,
telling me “leh meh draw yuh picture”
“Oh
really?” I asked “And how much this would cost me mister?”
“I
would take whatever you can spare; but I usually charge ah ten dollar”
He
replied, without breaking a stroke of his pencil moving on paper.
“Well”
said I, “I could spare a five, and I can’t stay too much longer”
Oh
Gosh, he replied, “ah now know how Napoleon felt while crossing the
Which
flashed the thought across my mind, that he might have at one time been an
achiever?
But
now was in some kind of fight with some kind of demon the demon was the winner
I
was inside the chain fence but somehow he looked like the prisoner
Listening
to the fellow speak you could have swore he was a university lecturer
And
I said “Man you sound like you are a member of the intelligentsia”
He
picked up my meaning that he also looked very much like a loser
Smiled,
glanced and said “Is ah long story, ah goh tell yuh ‘bout dat later”
“Later
eh?” I smiled at the realization he had
my Sagitaur sense of humor
And
for a moment I felt I could be he and he me but for fate’s twister
I
told him I had to go and even though he wasn’t finished it didn’t matter
I
would pay him anyway; but I also wanted to take his picture
As
he lifted up the drawing to show his artistry and pose for the camera
I
realized that the drawing was good, but he had made me look prettier
And
wondered if that was the real reason I decided to pay him extra?
Or
was it because I saw glimpses of myself in him, my picture in Mr. Picture
Drawer?
© 2002 David Henry All Rights Reserved