Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Sir Cup'n Coin

Sir Cup'n Coin...
*a serenade to serendipity...
an unbelieveably true tale that turned me into a troubadour

...all along on Clark Street in Chicago

Standin on the rooftop at sunset
smokin a cigarette, and I confess,
a lil high, cuz I'm wearing warm socks,
light shoes, a tremblin heart and
I refuse to let this moment pass me by...
Why should I? Live another dream
and not the miracle around me?
Not let the cool summer air -swim my skin
or the colors shake my bones or
the sounds- silence my noise?

I descended the stairs with the sun,
knowing then that night had just begun.
Cause you see I had a date with... my Self
and I couldn't be late
as I reached my destination at the bus stop.

My chariot arrived and I thrived on the
mumblings of the over-worked laborer,
song of the under paid everyday
same-shit-different-day man
but it's Friday night!
"TGIF" they whispered under their breath
tgif...."tGif" ......TGIF....TGif

It's Carpe Diem, baby,
you never know what you're gonna get
Keep your Heart, Ears, Eyes & Mind OPEN
and you'll never know what to expect
You might find a jewel in a trash can
You might meet your new best friend
You could tap dance with a beggar
and learn something you would never forget

Well, I moved with a strut and a curious smile
hoping for spark of magic all the while
When to my surprise- before my very eyes-
stood a shadowed door frame with nothing to claim
but a huge peacock feather and a cheshire cat grin...
I was secretly wishin to be invited in.

So I glanced down as I was about to round
the edge of his shoulder and
delivered a sincere nod and a look "I'd like to linger"

"Hello," he cooed, as he wooed me with his voice.
"My name is Sir Cup'n Coin."
"I'm sorry ....Sir.......what?"
"Cup'n Coin."
leaning into the streetlight,
so I could see him better....
tipping his maroon tweed golfer's hat
with yet another peacocok feather.
His face was tightly drawing back a wide-toothed grin,
donning a goatee, he was the color of cinnamin.

"You look like someone who appreciates a lil magic."
he taunted, knowing just what I wanted.
"Would you like to see me juggle?"
With a giggle and a soft ,"yes."
he unleashed his bag of tricks.

He rose a stately 5'2" and had a lazy eye
I could've sworn right there that Sammy Davis Jr. never died
tossing up the balls delicately balancing them all
on the tip of his finger.
Well, I've seen lots of jugglers but I never believed
that there was a living soul that could outwit gravity...like he
uh huh, it was magic...

It's Carpe Diem, baby,
you never know what you're gonna get
Keep your Heart, Ears, Eyes & Mind OPEN
and you'll never know what to expect
You might find a jewel in a trash can
You might meet your new best friend
You could tap dance with a beggar
and learn something you would never forget


Well, I offered up a rousing applause.
He took a graceful bow.
I introduced myself.
"Where are you going?"
"To the theater to see a play"
"Is it good?"
"I don't know but I'm going anyway."
"Would you mind if I join you? I could pay my own way."
"It'd be my pleasure."......well, I wasn't exactly sure
what I was getting into but it held
a certain promise of a supernatural voodoo...
and I was ready for that!

Like a well-seasonsed tramp, he had a swift steady stride,
carrying his backpack with the ease of his life.
A carnival shaman and lil ol' me...
we must of looked like two lost gypsies
looking for our Time Machine...
then he started to speak...he said,

"I hail from the city of Angels
and I swear I ain't never going back.
You see, I've been traveling for 20 years
and for 13 addicted to crack.
I was begging then, ghostly thin, lost within,
I hadn't discovered juggling yet.
But the dealers always knew, now,now,now
just where to find me
with the music of the coins
clanging against my cup, hence my name,
"Cup'n Coin" it's the same but I changed
and, baby, I swear I ain't never giving up

It's Carpe Diem, baby,
you never know what you're gonna get
Keep your Heart, Ears, Eyes & Mind OPEN
and you'll never know what to expect
You might find a jewel in a trash can
You might meet your new best friend
You could tap dance with a beggar
and learn something you would never forget

The tap of his cane was hitting the concrete
like a slap in the face and I could not erase my look of awe
I was amazed as he continued to tell his story of failed romance and the tragedy of circumstance-
"Do you dance?" he turned. I confirmed.
"Well, I do a little bit of dancing myself girl."

He leaned against a streetlamp and
let fall his house to the left of a hotdog stand
and *POOF* came to life...
this Louis Armstrong, Tom Waits character with
a voice of satin gravel and the moves of Fred Astaire
and the twirling skills of a 13 year old baton girl.
He held my heart like the cane that he spun and whirled.

Street scatin' with a Cheshire Cat, imagine that,
a transformed rat, a vegetarian bat ,a rat-atat-tat!
I'm an alleycat- now that's were it's at.
Always time for a lengthy chat.
I'm puttin' out the welcome mat so,
step inside my groovy flat.
There's room for everybody
so grab your favorite hattttttt!

Well, I stood there stunned....the reality of the illusion
came into focus and I became aware
there was no one there...I mean people passed but
no one stared. They just walked by heads hung with pride,
too embarrassed to try or cry or fly or dance with a gypsy
underneath the midnight sky....Why?
Would no one see this invisible dream?
Was I deceived? Well, then go ahead and laugh at me.
Because I was touched by the fingerless Hand
and what I saw right there made more sense then this whole damn land!

It wasn't about money or intoxicating honey,
a hateful funny or synthetic sunny,
power trips, Kings or Crips,
computer chips, silicone tits, academic wits
steroid wimps or religious pimps

It was about a homeless black man who traded in his
crack pipe for a set of juggling balls....
but that's not all-
dropping the mask....
taking the
fall
into transformation
of Self, addictions,
fear and pain
of a vacant parking lot
with nothing but....a hat and a cane...

I cheered louder than
Wrigley Field on a Sunday afternoon.

It's Carpe Diem, baby,
you never know what you're gonna get
Keep your Heart, Ears, Eyes & Mind OPEN
and you'll never know what to expect
You might find a jewel in a trash can
You might meet your new best friend
You could tap dance with a beggar
and learn something you would never forget

well, I'm never gonna forget, I'm never gonna forget,
I'm never gonna, I'm never gonna, I'm never gonna.
I'm gone.

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