Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Fanfare for the Mexican on my Roof

Dear man in the dusty suite,

How dost though feel this good New York morning?
Dost though know that thine cackling ist so fair?
Dost though know that thy singing is like an angel's prayer?

And when you heckle the ladies walking by
I cans't but imagine that they blush from the high
of being so flattered by your chaste and noble thoughts
or of all the young, noble children your loins would them fraught

My favorite dusty friend, who's hammer pounds so true
who shuts off my cable, and my hot water too
without blinking any eye, because you needed to squat there
so shut off my lights too if they but showed a speck of dirt on your lucky underwear

So cackle and hammer on, my noble foreign friend
you bring me such joy like a hot stinging fart in the wind
What music you'll showed me, in the wee morning hours
my gift is your song, for the next sevenhundredthousand hours.

8 comments:

euphrony said...

Lovin' it!

Chaotic Hammer said...

Sounds like the Big Apple is doing its level best to turn you into a bona-fide Noo Yawker in as short a time as possible.

Susanne said...

At least New Yorkers are giving you lots of bloggity inspiration! :)

Seth Ward said...

Hey susann! Yeah, I guess there are some positives.

Like, the war did bring America out of the Depression...

C-ham, I've always been a Noo Yawker at heart.

Two favorite places: Texas, NY (Tulsa comes a close 3rd. I want a big chunck of land out there someday.)

So you could say, I'm a New Yorkxan. It's funny, people in NY always smile when you tell them you are from Texas. They have a strange and funny respect for Texans. I think its because it is really the only other place in America where the heritage and State identity is so cherished and rich. Maybe its the only other state that can compete when it comes to ego and originality. I don't know... What do you think ?

Chaotic Hammer said...

Some of our friends here were a little surprised by how much Nanx and I enjoyed NYC. It was kind of funny, one of them asked us "Yeah, but would you actually want to live there?" and we both blurted out, in complete unison and almost instantly "YES!".

Honestly, I don't see that happening any time soon, we have certain obligations here and both believe we are currently where the Lord wants us to be right now. But you just never know what the future holds...

Seth - I think it's sort of funny how people's geographical location gets so intertwined with their identity. Remember what was said about Jesus -- "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?". So even He had to contend with stereotyping because of where He was from. I don't have a problem with people having a strong sense of that identity, but I really don't have it myself. I've lived in so many different places and changed "geographic loyalties" so many times that I just don't have any one region or place that I feel a special, unique, or exclusive bond with. There are places I've lived (including Texas, where I grew up) that I do have an appreciation and love for, and which I associate with various good memories of different seasons of my life.

But ultimately (just being honest, not trying to over-spirchalize things) I must say that the one true, consistent thing I've found no matter where I go is Jesus.

Rob said...

I find myself to be more people-rooted than place-rooted. At one time those were one and the same, but this medium we're now using is changing that some. We can be people-rooted and change places without being uprooted.

I wonder how long it will be before "place" is an old-fashioned idea that used to be important.

Seth Ward said...

Well, I'm a Christian, and I am Christ-rooted. Therefore, I am more holy than you all.

In fact, I could live in a giant 3-story house of perpetully fresh camel poo in a rocky crevis on Mercury's equator as long as I was a C. I was a Ch. I was a Christian.

I think the sense of belonging to an area comes from 3 things.

1. I'm part Indian
2. I'm part Irish.

Two people who sho like they land.

3. I was a preacher's son. If you've never been in a place for more than 3 years your whole life, you tend to hang on to a "place" to call home when you find one that you reeeeeeally like. But Rob, I hear you People centered is the way to go. Bricks and concrete can get might cold and dirty, not matter how neatly and artistically they are stacked.

However, the masion being prepared for me is the ultimate joy of my life, (no sarcasm) and who knows where that will be or who will live on my block. But I sure am looking forward to it.

Anonymous said...

That was beautiful man.