happening
9:07 p.m. - 10.27.02
i read some of my words to an audience thursday night. abe, a very good friend and an excellent abstract artist i've known since 1994 finally convinced me to get up there.
abe was having an opening for the video he shot for a happening that happened in july. he asked me to read at that one but i never showed up.
he asked me to read at this one and i finally said yes. the sound guy checked my voice, the video guy shot it, and the photographer shot it even as i was getting ready in front of the mic.
i had accompanyment, or how ever that is spelled. my friends were there, Leslie, Halim, Still Will -- people who have know me before i said anything.
and i had assistance, in addition to accompanyment. i was introduced by Abe, my friend. then the drums started, and then i had to begin. it was so nice to hear those drums play patiently in an exploring sense. i heard them when i spoke and felt i was not alone. the rythym kept me moving.
after the happening happened i did meet mike, the drummer. then after we talked for a while after it happened he asked if i wanted to talk some more.
we walked to his door and i saw the same smiley-faced sticker i got when a stranger gave it to me like six years or so ago in DC.
i never therew it away, though i have no idea where it is now. i used to keep it close to me. mike, my friend since high school. he lived in DC at the time and i went to spend New Year's with him. we were walking up to the museum and this man was passing out smiley-faced stickers. it was not the typical smiley-face, the yellow face. it was different.
thursday, mike, my new friend (i think), led me to his apartment door. my sticker was on his door. i haven't seen it since it was given to me. i almost forgot all about it. i told him i have the same sticker. he said he didn't know what to do with it, but, 'you can never throw away a smiley face.'
i can't agree more.
in the past 3 days i have enjoyed knowing him.
we saw eachother at another gallery show on friday. he walked me to my car.
he called me yesterday to see if i was still interestedin the halloween party and bands. i was. we went. we saw some of my old friends. they like him. i think he liked them.
we want back to his place and his puppy hugged me again. we sat on his bench, a handle he used in one of his recent shows. we talked about my work and his work. he showd me some of his notebooks. in opening and reading the pages and phrases it looked like mine.
and at the end of the night we just held and kissed. it was so wonderful to feel him and for him to feel me. he even held my head in his hands while he kissed me. he held me still and strong just as much as he kissed me. i can't say now which felt better. it all felt so good. his handswent nowhere, except to hold me in. i could respect that kind of respect totally, especially after we discussed Van Gogh and Goya and he had their books.
i won't forget his smile and what he said and did and didn't do to me before he smiled.
and, like he said, you can never throw away a smiley-face.
happening - 10.27.02
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