text: Parts (I-V) I was listening to ‘shine on you crazy diamond’, waiting for the cars in the four lane street to pass. On the other side of the street was the brick viaduct that carried the subway out of the city. The street cleared and as I walked across, I suddenly noticed a light flickering in the second arch. When I got there, I found four candles burning on the ground. Two beer cans, bananas, grapes and candies were placed around the candles like on an altar, and pieces of cloth were hanging between the two street poles in front of it. I leaned over to take a closer look, when I spotted a man lying in the corner, up against the wall, in a sleeping bag. Sound asleep with only his pale face looking out. Behind his head leaned a backpack and a bicycle. Probably just passing through, I figured. And not wanting to wake him up, I pussyfooted to the other side of the arch. A train went by over our heads, shaking the bricks and the ground. I reached a crooked joint out of the brim of my hat, straightened it with my stiff fingers and lit it. Then I took a step forward, so I could look down the street and watch the smoking chimney of the incinerator that was reaching out behind the rooftops. A few cars were still going by. Then an ambulance pulled up next to the subway station with the lights on an all, picked somebody up, then it left again. And just standing there smoking and watching them, I felt I was simply there. I looked over to the sleeping man to see if he was still asleep and he was. I wondered where he was going with his bicycle. And I figured I liked that I was somehow part of his journey now and that he didn’t even know it. So I decided to give him the rest of my smoke, had a last hit and put it out on a brick. Then I pulled out my wallet, found a coin inside and went over to the altar. A plastic lid with a few coins in it was already there. I put the coin there for the ferryman and the last three tokes of my smoke for the ride. Then I left, wondering where he would be going. Parts (VI-IX) The next night I had rolled another smoke, and tying my shoes decided to go back to the place. I doubted the man was still there, but I still imagined how we’d smoke together, so that he could tell me about where he was going. Outside, the wind was guarding the streets as usual and it was colder than the night before. Waiting in the four lane street, I didn’t see any lights shining on the other side this time, and when I walked across I saw he was gone. A yellow blanket was left behind where he had been lying, and a garbage bag was sunken into the brick wall. The candles and everything were gone as well, only a few cigarette butts and frozen grapes had remained. Gazing over the ground I suddenly spotted another stub in one of the grooves. It was my yesterday’s smoke. He must have taken it out. I picked it up. There was just as much on it as I had left. Three tokes. They had gotten cold overnight. I smoked them away walking around underneath the arch listening to the rest of the second part of the song. Then I lit the new smoke. I thought about the man, and I thought he had something I didn’t. And now I didn’t feel like I was simply there anymore. So I left. Having had enough of the place.