Saturday, August 25, 2007

Whatsa matta whichyou boy?


I sat with the squatters. The elbow boys. The ones who watch from their dark corners, five o'clock shadows and tall boys resting in their hands. It was creepy. Lonely.

From my favorite padded black bar stool, where my fanny hardly ever rests, I became one of them. The Friday night parade marched by, "How to do? How are you?" Kisses on the cheeks. Leaning in for hugs. But it was different. Tethered to the stool, crutches glaring out in the dark, I couldn't jump in for Jack Flash, first one on the dance floor, and my eyes searched the crowd for who would take my place. The dance floor was empty on the count of four, eight, nine, ten... then finally I could breathe again. I smiled. Clinked!

I noticed how very smokey it is when you sit very very still, bodies swirling around you, kicking up the dust and cigarette haze like cat hair everywhere. I studied the floor and for the first time, saw cocktail stirrers everywhere, like a game of pick-up-sticks abandoned mid-sentence for a better game. I read the signs. Climbed out of my Friday night skin and the concrete block around my ankle and pretended to be on the dance floor, good foot moving to the music, shoulders swaying, hair swinging in the smoke.

And then I knew.

And I cried. The slightest trickle of rain, falling from my eyes. "Are you o.k?" "mmmmmhmmmmm" and I smiled. "Is it your foot?" "uuuuuh...uuuh" "Your leg?" "uuuuuh..uuuuuh" and I smiled again. Because I had to, Grabbing the stainless steel stilts, like a pointy little pocketbook, and swiveling out of the chair.

"It's my heart".
And the shadow people...
Dancing with their ghosts...
Wallpaper on the Friday night walls.


When I can walk through the front door on two legs, both arms free, I'm gonna hug 'em.

25 comments:

Katherine said...

I've always watched from dark corners, but you were made more to rock, S. Hope you feel better!!

skinnylittleblonde said...

'...Singing after dark
People think I'm crazy
I've been stumbling on my feet
Shuffling through the street
Asking people, "What's the matter with you boy?..."'

Lol, the answer to that question is usually very subjective!

Being forced into a position of people watching might just be very interesting, especially where you like to get your groove on! ;)

If I was there, I'd give you a piggy back ride Sister ...ILYSVM

Acquaintance said...

LOL, don't worry I'm not boarding up the windows yet, lol :D Although I might start renovating my blog for a short while but the windows are still open.

Sorry about what happened and I hope you get well soon. :)


Take care okay.

Gill said...

Gained a little perspective. It is always bittersweet. The road to enlightenment sometimes involves injury; it is the Universe's way of telling us, okay,if you aren't going to pay attention, I am going to make you pay attention.
Get well soon Singy! You'll be dancing in no time, then it will be the barstool's turn to cry. It will be lonely again, oh it will be lonely.
xo
Blue

Gill said...

Diggin the Miss You line in the title Singy. Thought that one went right by, didja? Hey!~
xo
Tink!
Blue

No said...

I totally get this, and I'm not sure why!

Lola Starr said...

You'll be better soon and dancing in no time! Sometimes I think the universe makes us slow down for a bit though sometimes using strange ways. Enjoy the people watching while you can and then get back to dancing! :)

singleton said...

katherine.....sometimes the darkness holds all the mystery, the secret window...like sitting on the balcony with Mardis Gras below....And I often like it there, too, in the quiet, in the distance, but here at home....I forgot their were corners.....:) And I can't help, but miss the gravity of the dancefloor, the music baiting me into the circle!

skinnylittleblonde sister love....
And I know you would have! And yes, you're right, the answer is almost always very subjective.... Eyes wide open, taking it all in!
ILYSVVM!

Mavin...doing good, thank you for the cheer-up thoughts! I'm gonna throw this ole cast footed leg up on the walls pretty soon for everyone to sign....don't get writer's cramp before then!

Blue....I always, always know there's a reason for everything, and so BELIEVE that! In this case, there might be a million reasons. On the night this freak little firecracker went off, in spite of everything, it immediately became diversion from another situation, a chaotic crises that was rocking my sister's world....and then Ta!Dah! "can't worry about that, gotta take care of this!"....Funny how we are forced into the "next".....
And yeah, girl, you got it! Readin' between my lines!

no...Nice to see you again!

peace~love~Sunday clinks! to all!

singleton said...

karma....Tink! Typing in tandem! Thanks sweetie, and I totally agree, sometimes the giant hand of "Bigger than me" just reaches down and whispers in our ears "Take it easy, girl, now's the time to sit on the curb and enjoy the parade, watch for the candy and trinkets landing at your feet".....
peace~love my friend

Sandy Kessler said...

love it-- I have cancer of blood - why I'm having s downer day .but still very blessed and you --I'm sure -crutches and all..

karoline in the morning said...

{{{sandy}}}

singleton, i positively adore this
piece of art it makes me think.."oh dear"

eric1313 said...

Good morning to you, Lady Blue rollin with the Stones. Love this message of love to all life that shows its colors best at night.

"...I couldn't jump in for Jack Flash, first one on the dance floor, and my eyes searched the crowd for who would take my place. The dance floor was empty on the count of four, eight, nine, ten... then finally I could breathe again. I smiled. Clinked!"

You are so clever and bright; lines and insights all wrapped up in a beautiful strand of gorgeous rainbow yarn made only by you for your psychadelic word power tapestries.


I havta run my tux back now that the wedding is all over, and pick up another dress jacket from the clearance rack at the business men's tweed straight jacket store (gotta look imortant if I'm gonna be important) (at least at work and at college) but I'll bounce back by and chat you later, if it's cool. Hope your leg feels better; using it like that actually will make it heal faster. Learned that from the hockey players I know up here. If you stay off of an injury, it will take twice as long ot heal and hurt a lot more.

Peace and love, friend. I'll be back lata!!
clink!

ps--I have a balcony attached to my room, now, so It truly is a treehouse that I live in! Loving the august sun. Hope you are, too.

savannah said...

*hugs* raising an afternoon glass to you, sugar! take care

singleton said...

sandy...I didn't want to ask, but sensed it was big. Please know that prayers are being passed. Wishing you better days, better moments, peace and love sweet girl

karoline...it was inspired by one of those "oh dear, oh my" "oh,no" moments....And she, not the inspiration, but the art, now lives in South Florida hopefully getting her act straight!

eric....Ahhhh, I hope everything went beautifully, know you brothers must have been beaming and handsome and clinking! I'm so glad you have a balcony, now you can watch the world go by, the coolest free parade ever!

savannah....hold on....
fetching my afternoon glass and clinking! ya back!

Oceanshaman said...

I was never much for dancing in bars . . .

Concerts, festivals, gatherings, on the other hand . . . now them's my gig . . .

I say this as I'm groovin' to Jerry's guitar from an '84 Philly show . . .

Namaste . . .

singleton said...

oceans...I so understand, give me the streets anyday....but this is different, this is our neighborhood, out our backdoor...the same band, the same good ole boys doing rock and roll, for seven years of Friday and Saturday nights....I haven't been to a nightclub in probably 16 years.....and here, I'm as at home dancin' on the dirty dance floor as I would be in my living room....

Cheers!
to groovin'
to guitars
and dance floors where you find 'em

eric1313 said...

Real time clink!

finally posted...

how's the blue lady tonight?

Shrink Wrapped Scream said...

Oh, poor broken little bird, mend well and soon, we all need your dance to lift us up. ((hugs))

SpongyBones said...

Ah, don't cry you will be rocking with them in the shadows and then in the light in no time. Now you just have more to clink for and with!

justacoolcat said...

I hope you're feeling better. Wallpaper crowds always bring me down too.

Judy said...

I hope it's soon, Singleton. Sorry...

Chris Benjamin said...

and you'll rock their world too!

singleton said...

eric...delayed time, but clink ya back, baby! I'll be crawling the walls by the week-end, meet me there!

shrink....thanks, girl, gonna be a peice of cake, once they let me outa this cage!

spongy....you are so right! I mean totally right! More to clink with and for!

wizened....bless you sweet girl, soon is a coming!

benji...everybody get ready to rock! "cause thats the way, uh huh, uh huh, i like it!"

peace~love to all

SHE said...

and the thing is - there are many people who suffer an injury of one sort or another, and are forced to just observe for a while; not participate

but during this time of observation, i know you'll see more than 20 people put together

and so i look forward to your posts during your recovery

** God to me; me to you

you are at all times
even write now,
always
in the write place
at the write time
doing the write things
for the write people
and write reasons

~sandra, ttgp

singleton said...

she...your words are always sage and I know you hear between the lines, between the times, the write things....

funny, how often I think I have eyes wide open, only to find I must have been peering through fishnet, seeing, but everything blurred, not fine tuned....

Thank you.
Peace~love my friend