CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
SNAPSHOT ENCOUNTERS: Brief Meetings With People #2
As we travel along the New England coast (a journey that began by way of Philadelphia) I will periodically post Snapshots of meetings with people we meet along the way. We are sending three of these Snapshots from the library in Stratham, New Hampshire, but all are meetings in Philadelphia on September 4, 2008.
While waiting to take the train from New Jersey into Philadelphia, headed towards the Pennsylvania Historical Society, Monte and I became engaged in conversation with a gentleman with white hair. He had a PhD in social work, and had taught history. He became interested in my research subject, and we carried on quite a conversation. I ended up giving him my business card.
Enroute back to the motel that evening, after the Pennsylvania Historical Society closed at 5:30 p.m., a heavy-set black man dressed in a green florescent shirt having thin white stripes, entered the train. He appeared to be carrying on a conversation with himself, but talked loudly enough for everyone to hear. He walked up and down the aisle, talking continuously, rambling on and on, while waving his hands occasionally. It made me feel uncomfortable. What kind of nut case is he?, I asked myself. I was relieved when he wandered to the back end of the train car, and remained there. But shortly he returned to our end of the train car.
Suddenly, I realized that this man was not nuts.
He was just wired—with ear phones attached to a small cell phone he held in his hands.
After exiting the train, I noticed a youth climbing the stairway. His pants covered only half of his back cheeks, offering a view the yellow and black plaid under shorts he was wearing. Perhaps he is proud of his choice of fabric for his under shorts?
Visit the Beanery Online Literary Magazine for a lesson on digital photography, posted by The Photodoctor.
