1. “It’s Vicious Out Here”

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    May 9, 2022 by admin

    At Central Park West and 72nd St., waves of white tulips, with clumps of forget-me-nots, lead me into the park.  Bottlebrush bushes display their white wares; bleeding hearts dangle from a few dicentra plants near the budless wisteria.

    Along the path I see solomon’s seal, with tiny pendulous white flowers with variegated leaves.  There is a hot pink azelia and a plot of spent daffodils.  Under the cherry trees are a thick carpet of pink petals.

    Bethesda Fountain is thronged with people.  It is a beautiful day, yet as I look over the scene from the top of the stairs, the atmosphere crackles with lawlessness:  No fewer than 3 buskers are amplified, 2 guitars and a chanteuse.  I walked through the chaos and cacophony, casting a stink-eye at the outlaws.  Under the Norway maple, I set up between 2 painters selling scenes of the park.

    After 30 minutes, I invited 2 young Frenchwomen to dance the hula to “The Hukilau Song.”  One took my proffered lei enthusiastically, but the other stepped away to watch.  I played both verses, and brought the number to big ending, after which this jeune fille handed me back the lei and walked away.

    A Korean grandmother took a toddler out of his stroller and urged him to dance.  “Dance, dance.”  Barely able to walk, he managed to keep his balance while he bent his knees and pumped his arms up and down.  We all yelled with glee at the end of the dance.  Grandma gave me a dollar.

    Shortly before my 90 minute set was over, a woman of a certain age put a dollar in my case, bringing the total for the day to $2.

    Passing through Strawberry Fields on my way out of the park I saw Randy, the dobro and guitar player, at the Imagine Mosaic.  It had been 2 years since we’d seen each other.  After exchanging inquiries about our mutual health and wellness, Randy pointed to a small group of Italian tourists.  “They ask me to do stuff,” he said, “pose with them, sing a song into their friggin’ cellphone.  Then, nothing.”  He sighed.  “You know what I think it is?  These goombahs don’t know to tip, they never travelled before, they’re ignorant and suspicious of everything outside their village.”

    “I don’t think we can say the same for the French girl who danced a hula and walked away.”

    “Maybe we can.  Remember, the world has stood still for 2 years.”

    “I see you’ve gone to the dark side,” I said, indicating his amp. 

    Randy shrugged, more of an acknowledgement than an apology.  “It’s vicious out here,” he said.  “Time to take the gloves off.”

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