Get Low!

Chased out of the bathrooms at Zen Palate; thwarted in his effort to turn the respectable vegetarian restaurant into his private shooting gallery, he makes his way to the sidewalk. He; young white, hair freshly barbered, clothes clean, watch - not cheap or for that matter cheap looking. He marches out ahead of the disdainful looks and curt words that preceded his strange episode in the bathroom. Plastic bag in hand he makes it to the curb, the light is on "don't walk" he waits, he rubs his nose, he rubs his nose, then he starts to bow and his knees buckle and then they bend and he goes slowly down like a wilting flower, down, down, down, he touches the sidewalk, scratches his nose and up, up, up. Open eyes! Scratch nose and down, down, down touches the sidewalk, scratches his nose and up, up, up. Open eyes! He is in a state of suspended animation, trapped in this weird matrix trying to cross the street but is taken over by the dreaded heroin NOD. The nod that comes on when you're riding the train and putting on mascara, the nod that takes over right in the middle of a heated discussion with your junked up girlfriend, the nod that takes over right in the middle of a busy intersection, you know, that nod. He just kept getting low and back up and down and up like a slo mo merry go 'round horse. The unforgiving and unflappable NY crowd of passerbys did just that, passed by, some looked on with amazement, some didn't even notice as they were wrapped up in their own chatter and a few snickered. But there I was just fascinated, in awe of the bobber. When did it all go wrong, where does he live, work, who are his people, where are they and what led him to this sorry chapter in his life. Kicked out of a restaurant bathroom only to get his much desired nod on the corner of 17th & Park Ave. South not in a comfortable flop house, or den of iniquity or many of the other hell holes in this naked city. My husband pulled me out of the daze, flagged a cab and we were gone leaving Mr. Noddy on the corner, unable to make it across the street, just there - getting low.