A kindred soulmate found at the Buddha Bar in ChinaTown SF

I did a Jack Kerouac tribute a few weeks ago on FB and Twitter honoring him by posting Morning with Jack Kerouac week : June 14th - 20th, 2009.

Its not on this blog because I started this blog a week later. If you go to FB or Twitter and scroll back you'll find it...

In regard to Jack Kerouac......

Recently I met a Merchant Marine Seaman at the Buddha Bar in Chinatown, SF. I went with my friend JayBird. It was an unusually sunny late afternoon setting, having been a glorious day in SF. This guy we met was a poet sitting next to us at the bar and quoted some of his own works along with much of Jack Kerouac's....He had all of his works memorized..nothing recorded....on paper,or word doc, nothing published...

We were mesmerized by this new found author and his passion as he quoted to us from his very own private library of writings only to be found in his memory on a shelf tucked neatly in his mind. We were honored that he was so inspired to share with us...The sun started to set outside and the clamour of the streets settled a little...We still listened without distraction as he spoke... quoting himself in the dim light of the Buddha Bar as the city outside made its noises into the newly found nightfall, nothing disturbed each word we held onto until he paused before the next..


I recently reunited with a dear friend Kevman on FB. We had both spent many hours over a decade ago reading, writing and going to bookstores together studying and honoring the great writers..especially Jack Kerouac and the beat generation. This is what brought writing about Jack Kerouac and this Seaman at the Buddha Bar this morning...Anyway, Kevman, would have loved this poet. I'm sure they would have sat for hours quoting Keroac, Ferlinghetti. Ginsberg or Burrough's to name a few over a pint of brew.

The seaman discussed liking Kerouac better than any writer ever & made the Lowell pilgrimage. He knew ALL of Kerouac's works, his history and life, absolutely everything.....amazing.....kindred spirit.....soulmate. It made all that I knew about Kerouac miniature, dimming in comparison, silencing me to hold on to his every word. He had given much thought to his poetic justice and I was enhanced gratefully; exhilarated realizing that we found a treasure as our paths crossed today.

Then the brawny sailor, husky and thick, tattoed and scared...none the less a profound and gentle poet...his hat tipped to one side, was off to the vast Pacific once again, he had been in the SF port for only a few days which was long enough to give his sea legs respite. The Pacific princess would be calling him to return home to ponder the things he loved and record the world he knew, wave after wave his very own thoughts, enlightening his solitary life and he would once again recite vigilantly into the night, while holding onto the deck rail, to his audience,the wind and the starry celestial dome....while all the others on the ship were below the deck soundly sleeping.