I got lost in Berlin again this morning. Its becoming a very rewarding habit. Last night was on the trains, this morning by foot. Once resigned to having no idea of where I was, I stopped at a small cafe and ordered a German breakfast by pointing at a sign on the wall. Cheeses and smoked salmon and croissants. I sat and reread Derek Baileys Improvisation book for about an hour or so (There is only one criterion (in judging music): is it dead or is it alive? - Steve Lacy). There was just one man working the cafe. When I got up to pay, the man was curious about me, noticing I spoke a little, not great, German. Where are you from? he asked. Im from the USA, but I live in Mexico. Oh wow, Mexico, gut he said. And the you-sa (USA), really? I responded, Yes, where are you from?. I am from Iraq. He smiled. He had large spaces between his teeth. We looked at each other longer than would be considered normal. It was uncomfortable at the beginning and beautiful by the end. We looked at each other long enough to know what wasnt important, now, for the two of us. Have a great day, you are nice he said.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 10:22:31 +0000