A King amongst Men

A King amongst Men

 

 I could tell he was a broken man. The strings he plucked were as rusted and discordant as his countenance. His guitar was slightly out of tune, but in my perception the detail really drove the scene home. The man on the park bench with his eyes shut to the sun, his fingerless gloves frayed and catching the strings here and there, his clothes unwashed and tattered- the man was recounting his story to nothing but the night beneath his eyelids. And there was nothing but truth to it. There was no glamour, no dreams of stardom or recognition. There were no thoughts of lusting women and champagne from the heavens. There was no ambition whatsoever. Those days were over for him. There was a man and his guitar. A man against the world, and that was all that mattered to him now. Perhaps he had had all the finer things in the world once. Perhaps he had had a beautiful life, as commonly described, once- and perhaps he had lost it all in a terrible fashion by one circumstance or another; But in that beautiful moment- nothing mattered to that man but that song he was playing. There was nothing in the world to him but that broken guitar, and the truth only a broken man can know. As I walked away towards whatever oblivion I could find myself, I heard the newspapers he had stacked beside him rustle and take flight in the wind as if a dramatic outro to the song of a king. Even the oncoming cold meant nothing to him anymore. I had never known pity and admiration as the same feeling before.

Reviews

[Vanesa Markovic]

A beautiful ode to humanity.
This is the kind of work I most enjoy, raw and honest, no fancy costumes, just truth.
I often see transients in the city, and I can never help but wonder what their life has been like up until that point. I also give my fair share of respect to anyone who can survive the streets with nothing but themselves. It can be a cruel and unforgiving world. You pulled the story together beautifully at the end, pity and admiration are the exact combination of emotions you captured.
Wonderful.
-VM

[A.J.]

I'm so glad you liked it! thank ya for reading.

[Dara]

This is very beautifully written. Having just returned from San Francisco, I still see the faces of the many homeless people living on the streets. If only the streets could talk! Thank you for sharing.

[A.J.]

thank you for stopping by! :)

[willweb]

Wow, now this is something I can relate to...Give me song and I will be content to play and forget the world. Very cool.

[A.J.]

yeah. It was a simultaneous attempt at a short short story (I write lengthier ones all the time), and at relaying a message that sometimes all you have is one thing in the world, and you get to the point where that is all you need. whether its healthy or not.

[A.J.]

thanks for reading.

[Marie]

Nice word picture of a derelict who still retains a smattering of glory.

I think you mean "champagne" intead of champaign".

[A.J.]

wonderful catch! I didn't even realize I did that. thank you for reading again!