Im standing in the street at night outside a restaurant, waiting for two friends to go with them to he opening of an italian-mozambican photo exposition, when an elderly, drunk gentleman stops to talk with me. He tells me he is a marrabenta musician, from Nampula, plays the guitar. spent two months in Canada sitting on the street playing (must have been so cold!!). then went to washinton, came to germany, recorded a disc in portugal
"Can I find this cd somewhere?" I ask him. he smiles, and lifts his hands to his face. walks a circle around himself, distancing a bit from me. "you can have my number" he says, medeling with his phone, but then puts it back into his pocket. he looks a bit past me "I can sing u a song, a beautiful song". I cant help but smiling with all my teeth - this guy has so much enchantment "I wanna hear it";
a guy selling batique stops, he looks at him "go away, we dont have money to buy your art. Im going to sing a song to this princess" "I also want to hear the song", the guy says "no, I only want to sing it to her. you wont understand it". he starts reciting a poem, Im thinking I shud ask if I can film him, but Im affraid to ruin the magic. I forgot the name of the guy, the poet he was reciting and the words, I just remember the opening was something like "sem amor não existe saudade" and poem concluded that "sem saudade - não existe amor!". "its beautiful!" I really mean it - fit right into my day. he smilingly walks another circle around himself.
"you are a good person" he says, "your housband shud be a musician". "Its too late" I show him the ring on my finger. he smiles again. it fills his face out silently, and he looks like he is bursting with laughter from inside his spine.
He points up into a tree "you see?" I look up into the tree, "what?" I ask. "God" he says. "God is right here". I cudnt agree more. "you are a wonderful person, you're precious. a beautiful princess!".
my two friends arrive and find me with a silly smile on my shining face "he was praising you huh?" one of my friends say, as we walk away. "he has enchantment!" I respond and try to remember the words of the poem, his name or anything else - but its already tucked away in oblivion.
