Artist
That Friday the boy recalls, near the end of a busy night and after customers consume alcohol and substances for hours, an eighteen year old drunk patron acts in a disrespectful, disruptive manner. He is asked to compose himself and not harass the clientele. The drunk patron has friends with him and is known to the establishment. The night winds down and the bar begins to close shop. The partier in sloppy fashion slurs to the owner, “I am sorry.” The owner looks at him emotionless, but keeps the intoxicated guy busy with small talk as the tavern empties out. As the last of us leave we notice the proprietor hold back the inebriated customer and there is nothing we can do.
The boss and bouncer make us all leave the premises and as the door closes shut we hear our remorseful friend beg for mercy. Outside we listen to what is going on inside. We hear glass break, chairs smash, tables tumble, all mixed in with howls of pain and panic. Then it was over. The locked door opens and the kid is thrown out. He stumbles to the ground and struggles to stand. He insulted the wrong people. The young man’s brother who is a descent fellow and with the help of others pick the unfortunate up from the sidewalk and drive him away. We all understand what happened and why, there is no more to say. The group of friends disperse.
The teen thinks about violence in a matter of fact way. He does not like it. The youth tries to avoid aggressive hurtful behavior, but has to deal with circumstance. As he makes the ascent toward home busy thoughts crash and conflict to create a conundrum that frustrate the lads peace of mind. The nights mishap is not what troubles the young man. What haunts the kid is how to decide an important matter of choice. How to choose between a way of life that satisfies an artistic tendency, or follow a spiritual call. To be an artist or a priest is the summons.
The tug of war for what path to take rattles the intellect of this young adult. Back and forth the pros and cons vacillate with an existential seriousness. Then in a sudden his brain fraught with indecision hears a non verbal voice. The message resonates from within and is clear: “Do not be a priest, become an artist.” Then it was over. The matter settled. From that point on, for better or worse and for the rest of his life the intrepid youth will mature into an artist who will commune in a type of artful prayer and educate himself through creative problem solving, as a way to make an average existence amazing.
Artist Statement
Carmen Sasso
THEN IT WAS OVER
The teenager walks up hill toward home. The dingy white concrete sidewalk is lit by street lamps that create a silhouette of the preoccupied youth. With hands in pocket and head lowered, the distracted young man acknowledges the shadow that extends and diminishes with each separate light source and says, “We meet again.” Earlier that evening, the young man jokes and laughs with friends on a street corner. He leans against a traffic sign pole and observes the cast shadow of himself on the sidewalk then thinks, “That flat shaded figure is a type of drawing”.
The juncture, is a small intersection that provides on four corners a liquor store, a tavern, a sub shop and grocery market; all adjacent to triple deckers, a bakery, an Italian restaurant and private club. Generations of residents gather here at this city convergence. Older patrons meet every Saturday afternoon at the barroom for tripe, crusty bread and red wine. Heavy drinkers occupy the bar stools most nights and mischievous underage boys like himself sneak in, drink beer, play pin ball and drop quarters in the juke box.