2015/04/28 – Tuesday (Lisbon, Portugal)
... linger... arrived in Lisbon this morning and checked into a hotel which will blow my budget to kingdom come... my money/budget makes it to heaven but I cannot...as I step out of the hotel for a walk the thought comes to me... am I wishing my life away...with the IPod plugged in, I find my time is measured by the number of songs heard, as each song lasts about 5 minutes... nevertheless... the day is simply beautiful with summer like weather unlike in Montreal this time of year... and just around the corner is a small park alive with people...
...Jardim Constantino...is a small park in a residential neighbourhood... a green space in the midst of 6 storey apartment buildings...one can find an ice cream kiosk, a public phone booth, a playground with swings and some sort of rope climbing cage, which would've been banned in north America because of potential lawsuits... century old trees offering cool gothic shade... but for me it is the open air terrace bistro with large parasols and beer at 50 cents, espresso coffee and of course cigarettes are unlimited...
... ecological... green spaces flourishing with heavily fertilized shrubs which are only disturbed when dogs walk by to shit...there's also a free public bathroom, the building structure is about size of toolshed with a turret... and it is here to stay cause it was built solidly...with a brick and tile exterior, with a gazebo type of roof as a mini observatory... there is even a lady who works there full time making sure it is spotlessly clean... she showed me her little castle with so much pride... and yet on the other end of the park I had seen an old man pissing up against one of the fertilized shrubs...
... invisible partitions... during the day one can see toddlers with overprotective hovering parents (dumpies the new yuppies)... |||... and the older kids are on their own as one of their divorced parents are sitting on the bistro terrace concerned with their children's health by smoking from a safe distance... all the while refreshing their stale breath with coffee and cigarettes... also this morning's potent whitening toothpaste is no match for sun yellow colored teeth... too bad the cell phone on the table does not ooze reflective teeth whitening microwaves... as a selfie would just be too vain but quite suitable for an internet dating site...|||... seniors shuffle in hordes... expelled in the daily ritual from home by their complaining children... leaving a scented trace of mothballs behind to annoy the children living in the house/condo they paid for... an old gentleman like senior sits next to me on the terrace... I feel like giving him my eye glasses as he starts reading his newspaper 3 inches away from his face...at least he is not one of those trendy seniors one reads in the newspaper using hunting rifles to resolve domestic issues...
... fuckery... my ass and the bistro terrace are both centrally located in the park... and there are benches placed along the perimeter of the park grounds...come to think of it...I am sure in the nocturnal hours the park is a sanctuary for pot smokers...the benches are quite occupied...on some there are seniors feeling important in contributing an imaginary something into the air for another senior to hear...on other benches are happy people just talking, kissing or holding hands amorously...then there are people sitting alone on the edge of the bench...as if the space next to them is an invitation...their empty eyes stare into the crowded park emptiness... it's these, the sad ones I am drawn to...my empathy is in vain as I sit here alone... people are the same everywhere...
...unofficial... there is a man who seems to be a caretaker of the park... I'm not sure of this as he wears civilian clothes nor does he have a broom, garbage can or a florescent/reflective vest to his persona...but he did blow a referee like whistle when one of the playground kids was playing rough...the man is also going around and picking up discarded folded cardboard boxes which came from the nearby chinese no frills store... he inspects the card- board and if still in good condition he places them up against a retaining wall... there is a bench reserved for the parking monitors/facilitators, these are drunks that guide passing drivers in search of parking...pointing to available street parking spaces in return for a tip...the day must be good, as there's 2 big beer bottles underneath the bench...the bench shade acts as a cooler... how simple is a drowning life when all you live for is alcohol...
...stacked deck... in one corner of the park there are three tables with 4 chairs each, and all permanently anchored to the ground... a bit to the side of these tables are 3 benches... the tree canopy provides the shade over this unique area of the park... this micro cosmos of the park is reserved for card playing, for mature men with protruding tummies or receding/graying hair... and it is a woman free zone too... the previously collected cardboard boxes are used to pad the concrete chairs and table tops... the cardboard on the table top is also written on to keep track of card playing scores... with 4 players seated there are no more than 2 spectators per table to act as coaches, referees or provide comic relief...on the nearby benches are players with injured egos or waiting in line for a seat to free up in order to play cards...it is not a penalty box unlike hockey...
... succession... splattered bird droppings are everywhere... pigeons flock to pieces of bread being thrown on the ground...the only pigeons who don't care about the bread crumbs are the cruising male pigeons... pumped up males courting/chasing females playing hard to get... at the other end of the spectrum... generational voices echo throughout the park as these people are beautiful in their differences...as I sit here and watch all these folks... I realize my thoughts and written words do not affect them... whether they are playing cards or supposedly watching their kids... my presence does not disturb them... and yet I'm feeling a fondness for all this around me... this park is the cycle of life with a toilet included...
YOU ARE READING
Paper Cigarette
Random...... ...Paper Cigarette (slices of life)... ...for better or for worse, what happens on the Camino does not always stay on the Camino.... .. it's a journal style novel (fiction)....... it's about a man who inadvertently finds himself on the Santia...
