happy mistakes

i took my 
day off
in the the city
philly
that is

made my 
way to china town
for the most
delicious 
lunch i have 
had in a very 
long time

i was eating 
by my 
self

when two men
one younger
in his twenties
sweatshirt with 
spots of paint
as 
was the condition 
of his shoes

his hands
and wrists covered
with home
drawn 
tattoos
and rag
gi
    ty 
hair 
with two little braided 
tails on either side of his 
neck
he was busy twisting
and taming 
before he 
scooped up 
the huge bowl 
of pho

he wore a
bent up painted hat
sunglasses
and carried a pack
of red 
cased 
cigarettes

the other man 
was older
wearing 
typical attire

they spoke with 
passion 
especially the younger

an artist 

he is an 
artist
an urban artist
with opinions
and such 
deep passion

some of his words: 

photo realism/
art by consensus
rather than pure style/
i understand the bottom line
but it loses all creativity/
i like serendipity and 
happy mistakes/
olfe/
what are you doing for the 
world?

i sat only inches 
from their table
the restaurant was small

i'm glad i did
it was good
to be in 
the presence of 
two with such 
passion and 
creativity 
and color

the world 
could use more
of such
but that 
is a very stale 
and typical thing
for me to say

i'll watch for 
his art 
to appear

i'll remember
his face!