in ecuador alex and i saw this one tiny kid explaining something in an adult manner to another tiny kid. i wish there was a way to express the feelings that are caused by these glimpses into the lost world of childhood, but usually i can only express them passively. like by making comically serious faces at them when their parents aren't looking to try to get a rise out of them.
or by taking pictures. a few days ago for example, i nearly got a killer one of this kid reaching for a butterfly. but the butterfly flew away right as the shutter snapped.
but occasionally i can express it actively, like a few nights ago, on a night bus, there was this little kid sleeping in the aisle (that way they don't have to pay for the kid's seat). i gave him one ear of my earphones. his eyes lit up. he was so happy.
the music was very different from the accordion-and-bass stuff coming out of the speakers of the bus, and we shared a look of complicity at this secret between us. somewhere between 'high and dry' and 'fake plastic trees', he fell asleep against my legs.
Posted by at December 25, 2002 02:52 PM