Thursday, March 17, 2005

posted by: copernicus on 3/17/2005 10:02:00 PM
ST. PATRICK'S DAY, 2005 - NEW YORK CITY - 10:30 A.M.
==========================================


We step out of the apartment building. She's going to work, I'm taking the subway into Manhattan for the biggest St. Patty's Day parade on the planet.

She bends over, picks up a $20 bill off of the ground & hands it to me.
-"Here baby. Don't spend it on yourself 'cause it's bad karma. Feed some homeless people with it while you're in the city."

We kissed goodbye and went our separate directions. I took the R-train from 77th st. in Brooklyn to 14th st./Union Square in the city, then transferred to the 4-train Uptown to 86th st. so I could sit on the steps of the Met and people-watch at the end of the parade route.

I walked from the 86th st. station over to Central Park, then headed south on 5th Ave. I started at the parade's ending point and walked the entire length of the route against traffic so I could see the whole thing go by. By the time I got to Times Square I had walked over 2 miles and still hadn't seen any homeless people to feed with the newly discovered $20.

I stopped at The Times Square Brewery, had a pale ale and changed in the $20 bill for 4 $5 bills. I gave the 1st $5 to a homeless guy with a bad cough on 8th Ave. I said "Happy St. Patty's Day", and when he saw it was a $5 bill he said "Sho 'nuff!" in a voice that would have done justice to anyone who's seen "Barry Gordon's The Last Dragon".

The 2nd $5 went to a homeless guy on 42nd St. in Times Square who was shivering in the cold and yelling at some Pro-Life Jesus Freaks who had a bullhorn and were admonishing people to "REPENT...ARMEGEDDON IS NEAR...ABORTION IS MURDER..." and other such nonsense.


He was yelling at them: "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BRAINWASHED FREAKS & STOP HASSLING THESE PEOPLE!!!" He obviously deserved to be a recipiant of the mystery money and I wished him luck.


While walking down 7th Ave., I saw a woman sitting in an iron cage and a man in a Chinese military uniform standing over, pretending to beat her with a club. The literature on the table said that this was a protest of the Chinese government's systematic imprisonment, torture, rape and murder of the practioners of "Falun Gong Yoga". Apparently it is a form of exercise & meditation outlawed by China, who has arrested tens of thousands of it's devotees and over 1,000 have died in custody from torture.

I signed their petition and walked off in search of 2 more hungry people. I didn't find any more between there and the subway station, so I got on the R-train home.

The 3rd $5 went to a homeless guy on the train back to Brooklyn. He was going from car to car shaking a coffee cup and trying to charm people. No one was giving him anything, and when I threw in a $5 bill, he bowed and addressed the rest of the subway car in a very grandiose manner: "Here is a man of true kindness and virtue! You should all follow his example and give me 5 dollars!"A few people laughed and dug in their pockets for loose silver & copper, but most of them never looked up.

Right now I'm still on the R-train going back to Brooklyn to meet Molly when she gets off work, pick up some corned beef & cabbage, Guiness & Harp for Black & Tans and head home for a proper St. Patrick's Day feast.

But I'm still looking for someone to give that last $5 to.....
=================================