Léna is also a Regional Manager for Writopia Lab whose mission is to foster joy, literacy, and critical thinking in kids and teens from all backgrounds through creative writing.

"Well, the question is, what do you want to believe? Do you want to live in a world where things are possible, or in one where they aren't?" Cin, Edges.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Shakin' It with the Can Man

I'm chair dancing in Starbucks. My amazing mentee from Girls Write Now is sitting across from me laughing as we discuss the afternoon's writing exercise. We decide to focus on character. I feel so blessed to have Meg as a mentee. We meet once a week to challenge ourselves in our writing and I am inspired by her willingness to jump into the process. She constantly reminds me why I love writing. Meg is an extremely motivated and bright high school senior, and we always take a few minutes to talk about where she is in the college application process . . . now it's the WAITING.

Meg starts writing a character study for a piece we co-wrote together for the Girls Write Now reading series called, THE HOW-TO GUIDE FOR INHABITING TWO-LEGGED ANIMALS. (In fact, we are reading our piece together on Friday night, February 26th at the Center for Fiction on East 47th Street. 6PM) I encourage her to continue developing this quirky piece she started during a lightening round of "hot notebook". (I started her with a prompt, she wrote for five minutes and then passed the notebook to me, I wrote, passed it to her, back and forth, etcetera, etcetera . . .)

Me, I want to do a character study of this man I see here all the time, The Man with the Can . . . Today he is sitting near us in full view, his large canary yellow can of Dominoes Sugar on the table in front of him. The can is as much a part of him as anything else. What is in there? He wears thick old glasses that remind me of characters in fantasy books - Harry Potter wore thick glasses, so did Meg Murry in A Wrinkle in Time, and dar'st we forget about Mrs. Who's glasses that help Meg to see her father and walk through walls? His dark skin makes him look younger than his actual age, which is old because I see wisps of gray peeking out of his blue hat. Under his green parka and argyle scarf, he wears a brown suit with snazzy black spat shoes and white socks.

My foot can't stop tapping to the groovilicious music coming through the Starbucks speakers.

"Hey Mister?" I want to ask. "Whatch'ya got in there?" But I don't. He is tapping his feet to the music too. We smile at each other in rhythmic solidarity. (The older woman across from him is shakin' it too. Meg's shakin' it, we're all gettin' down.)

He also has a green bottle with brown liquid in it. He is not a Starbucks patron, but a Starbucks regular. I have never seen him buy a cup of coffee, while I on the other hand, should own stock in Starbucks. He is self sufficient.

My man looks out the window, tapping his Dominoe's Sugar canister. Is he going to open it? He picks up his green bottle and unscrews the yellow cap - as yellow as the sugar jar. He takes a sip. I imagine it will transform him, that he will grow into a giant or shrink to the size of my thumb like Alice in Wonderland, but he keeps looking out the window. There is something incredibly dignified in his snappy duds and thoughtful expression as he people watches. I watch what he is watching, who he is watching as he sips and taps.

God is in his soul or is God in the can? Is God outside or inside? Will he tell me?

"Whatchyou got in there Mister?"

"Whatchyou got in there girlie?" Yeah.

He looks at me and leans over his can, placing his hands on the top and turning it. slowly opening . . . I am holding my breath . . . what could possibly be in there? Slowly, slowly it is opening . . . and . . . he pulls out a spoon and starts eating. Lunch. Lunch is in his canister. And watching him is a pleasure, enjoying his lunch, sitting by the window in Starbucks on a cold and sunny day, surrounding himself with his fellow man.

I am glad that it is something as simple as lunch, filling him up and nurturing him, as observing and identifying with someone from a different generation, race and culture has been nurturing for me. Sometimes, people just dazzle me.

2 comments:

  1. Seeing that a venue during 1916, providers has grown to become best fake chanel during wide-ranging sales and profits for full groove shot bearings, amongst a important product lines. Those technological innovation trigger deals indoors profits / losses by reason of chaffing the fact that present themselves with the whole length turn, moreover substantially quieter surgery. providers keeps a replica chanel endeavors to display supporting overall performance in an effort to fulfill the necessities within the two times and then the promote, having a longer abilities during full groove shot bearings. During brightness for raising nutrition insecurity using instances everything, lawn equipment may start that will execute a key job in helping that will properly reach sturdy yields with head construction. Assorted types for prada replica handbags deploys happen to be widely-used based upon environmentally friendly illnesses together with technique for special head construction from a specified united states or simply section. Tractors is the prime systems evident in head construction together with working with job. By just hanging deploys towards a tractor's drawbar or simply ability take-off (PTO), area will deliver, signs are usually placed, fertilizers together with come to be unfold, chanel outlet lawn harsh chemicals is likely to be carried out. Bearings are used all the way through many features during the tractor including program, tranny, table hubs, or anything else. If you'd rather this level of detail look at directory website. Anytime gardens meant for louis vuitton replica home or simply as the work, you bought of having necessary gardens apparatus present (Superb together with Inclusive Program Directory website).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing the useful information. I hope i will get good information here in this blog. You have maintained a good quality in an attractive manner.A very informative and interesting article. Very interesting article. I This article was an inspirational one.

    order custom essays online

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.