The other day I had an appointment downtown (in Denver) which gave me the opportunity to ride the light rail. Gee! I had almost forgotten what a bizarre collection the riders of the light rail could be. There were tattooed and pierced kids on their way to college at the Auria campus of DU, and there were people wearing badges of some convention going on in the Denver Convention Center. There were people who were people sitting plugged into their iPods, their faces contorting as they (thankfully) silently mouthed the words to whatever song was playing. There were business men and women rushing to wherever they were going.
But the prise spot on the train was the man holding a conversation with nobody in particular. Actually, it was less a conversation and more a running diatribe of random statements; one large monologue comprised of an eclectic mix of gibberish and nonsequitur. I have no idea what set him off. He was sitting there silent when I boarded, but the moment the train left the station, he turned to the person across the aisle from him and started in.
He was talking, I could hear that and there was nothing special about him, just another person on the train. What he said before my attention was drawn to him could have been anything. (Given what I heard later, I am sure it was.) The first statement that caught my attention, because it came in a lull in the noise in the car was: "My parents are from Sweden, you know. That is why I have a British passport."
Huh!? The babble continued. Soon I over heard him say in an angry tone: "Charity begins at home? Bullshit! I used to live in Portland!"
This motley stream of consciousness continued until I got off the train. Strange!
Wherever you are today, I hope you'll have a great day!
Don Bergquist - July 17, 2008 - Somewhere on the Road, United States of America
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