BOXED IN A CORNER IN MANHATTAN
"Did very well."
"Travelled,got out, finished university."
"I see, did dangerous things?"
"Yes, very dangerous. In Paris, Rome, Vienna, Monaco."
"Fell in love, again and again, did shows again and again, roamed around, made a name."
"I am impressed."
'Thank you."
'No, really I am impressed, yes, I am."
"ITs great but thats not how I imagined it."
'Great experiences, what did you imagine?"
"If you struggle more, you enjoy more."
'Who said that? Go ask the people who are struggling."
"I don't know any one who is struggling, I know only successful people."
"So?"
"I meant if you struggle more, you don't depend on it."
"You still don't depend on it, I am sure, all your achievements , very very smart."
"But when you look around, there is always someone who has achieved more."
"It seems like that but you can look around at those who have achieved none."
"I don't surround myself with those who have achieved nothing. Thats not my style."
"I didn't mean that."
"I know you didn't."
"I meant, that if we look at people who are less than us, we can be more grateful."
"Why do we have to do that. People who are less than us, is not my fault or your fault."
"No, but they are there nevertheless."
"I think this is not the way I imagined."
"Imagined?"
Imagined our lively conversation to move."
"Oh, I am sorry, I hope I didn't steer the conversation to a less lively direction?"
"I hope not. Its just when we begin to talk about under-achievers and failures
something unpleasant gets into the air and into my lungs."
"Now we don't want to be sick sweetheart."
"No, I hate to be sick."
"No one wants to be sick. No. Never. What were we talking about before you got to be sensitive?"
"I am always very sensitive."
"I just met you but I can tell."
"I don't want to be so transparent."
"You are not transparent, you are sensitive, you are an artist."
"I am a successful artist, so I am more sensitive."
"I know, I know, I can tell."
"You just met me, how can you tell?"
"I can tell. I know already that the talk about under-achievers and failures makes you unhappy."
"It should make you unhappy too. Aren't you successful?"
"Very, very, but I didn't think about it. I mean there has to be achievers and under-achievers
in the world, otherwise no one will stand out. I was in Brazil the other day, in Rio and I was staying with extremely rich people in a villa and every time I came down there were those favella's the poor people's huts, the ghetto, right below the super rich. I had to see it. I had to see them. They were right there next to my last step before it touched the earth. I had to come down, the beach was there. I couldn't have ever gone to the beach without seeing them.
I could avoid seeing them, like look the other way but I always knew that they were there and they were poor and they were ready to steal my rolex watch if i wasn't careful. I tried to develop tge fourth wall in front of my eyes like I see them and I don't see them at the same time or I don't see them at all...."
"Why are you telling me all that?"
"Just so you can avoid seeing them if you ever encounter them."
"I don't see them, the way the things are set up here, the rich people live in a separate area
than the poor people, thank god for that. Thank god we don't have ghetto's right under our noses. They are there somewhere perhaps but why do I have to imagine that?"
"To help your art, to help your writing, to help your painting, to help your sensitive nature."
"TO help my sensitive nature I don't have to think of the down trodden. I can think of the Ocean, the gardens, the flowers, the bumble bee."
"The bumble bee will bite you."
"The bumble bee doesn't bite."
"If you stay here long enough, it will bite you."
"I never stay in one place very long.
People who stay in one place are losers and under-achievers and failures. They are stuck in a corner, in a remote corner of the world and are waiting for some one like us, the movers and shakers to get them out of the corner, oh! well its not my job. I don't have a job. I don't need a job. I don't work for any one. I have opportunities. I know how to use those opportunities.
My father is like me too. He has opportunities. He knows how to use them.
If you don't know how to use the opportunities you might as well not have them.
He can get out of any situation with his sense of awareness of an opportunity knocking at your door. Our door bell is always ringing.
My father told me that if you use your intelligence in the right way one can get out of everything, every situation even murder. I am that man's daughter. I don't see the ghetto.
I see what needs to come to me.
I never went to Brazil and I will never go. Why should I go to see the Favella's?"
"You don't have to. You just came back from Monaco, didn't you?
"Yes, I was at the wedding of Prince Albert."
"He should have married you instead of that South African."
"He has a few children with other women, air hostess and all that."
"But he is a prince."
"And I am a princess. My father's princess. I can have any thing I want, anything I need, anything others don't have. I am not stuck in any way, so next time if we meet at all please don't talk about the down-trodden stuck in corners in the summer and in the winter. I have nothing to do with those self made losers."
"BUt its you as far as I recall who talked about the down-trodden and corners. I am sure it was you.
These words are not part of my vocabulary. I am a musician. I record albums. I am on a break
from music, on a break from Paris, I am in Manhattan taking a break from my music, from my success, i don't have to talk about all that on my break from my success...................."
