I sat on a park bench, trying to write a play. As I strained for dialogue to reveal characters I had not even defined, snippets of real drama lapped against my ears like the wakes from passing ships.

Voices, actions, states of being – people interacting with each other and their world, revealing their souls, defining the time and place they share.

I opened my eyes and listened. No longer was this simply St. Paul’s Como Park, it was a theatre of private pain and joy.

* * *

WOMAN: "She has no idea the things the kids should be focused on."

* * *

AN ASIAN MAN jumps up and down, speaking non-English words, making his child laugh. A woman watches. The three walk off.

* * *

WOMAN: "As soon as the interest rates go down, we'll get a loan from the bank."

* * *

WOMAN to another woman: "You can't argue with a person's unique history . . . ."

* * *

WOMAN to the baby crying in the carriage she pushes: "Are you doing this purposely?"

* * *

MAN on roller blades: "Just like on roller skates."

* * *

WOMAN: "I just get so frustrated . . . .  Well that just puts a whole lot of pressure on me."

* * *

A WOMAN speaking too low for me to hear holds hands with a man. Her beige dog passes close to me.

* * *

WOMAN: "So he stands up and he's in pain, and I think, oh-h-h . . . what else is gonna happen? And so he goes . . . ."

* * *

CHILD behind me: "Let's go . . . ??? . . . the baby ducks."

* * *

I LIKE TO SMILE at the doggies that pass, showing them big, affectionate eyes. If I can't find a girlfriend here, I hope at least to make friends with people's pet dogs. Eating food as they pass works well for this.

* * *

AN ASIAN MAN carries a very little girl who asks, "Ahga-goo-moo-boo?" The man replies, "Hmmm?"

* * *

WOMAN to another woman: "You're the first girl . . . the first person to
. . . ."

* * *

CHILD: "Ah-guh-gaa the puppies."

WOMAN replies, excitedly, "Yeah!"

* * *

WOMAN #1: "That's a nice store, isn't it?"

(Both laugh.)

"You don't have stores like that there?"

WOMAN #2: (Amazed, dazzled) "No."

* * *

THE DUCKS sit quietly at twilight. Their forms molt, leaving silhouettes against the lake's last helio reflections.

* * *

WOMAN: "Oh no, I mean . . . "

MAN: "Because I planned my fall schedule . . . "

WOMAN in mock sarcasm: "Oh, sure . . . ."

* * *

A JOGGER PASSES, followed by a person in a fast electric wheel chair.

* * *

THE DUCKS are quiet, but the birds are well heard.

* * *

WOMAN: "You'd prob'ly kill yourself in it."

LITTLE BOY: "No."

MAN: (emotionally detached) "There ya go."

* * *

AN AIRLINE rumbles, roars, into the dusty cream clouds.

* * *

WOMAN: "No, all the ice has to melt before the turtles come out." (She walks a golden retriever, but talks to her 3-year old daughter.)

* * *

BEHIND ME, I hear a dog chain jingling. I look to see a woman in red with a black dog. What a great color combination!

* * *

WOMAN: "Are ya outta bread?" She pushes a stroller and talks to one of the two young children who can walk.

"Oh my gosh!" she says, straining to push the stroller up the grassy knoll to the sidewalk.

* * *

LOTS OF DOGS out, taking their humans for a walk. Too bad I have no food to lure them to me.

* * *

MAN WITH BEARD: "Get 'em outta sight!"

WOMAN: "I suppose the facial skin is a special delicacy."

MAN: (Squeamishly) "Ooooo . . . !"

* * *

EARLIER, a little girl had walked toward the geese I've been watching, backing them to the shore. One goose has come back. But as a man says, "There's one behind ya," a little boy chases it out onto the ice.

* * *

LITTLE GIRL in stroller: "There come the duckies."

* * *

WOMAN to another woman: "I don't think my brother likes doing yard work. He likes cutting the lawn, but he doesn't like doing the other . . . ."

* * *

A RARE EVENT in our socially isolated society: an elderly man has sat next to me. "My feet are killing me," he replied when I asked, "Long walk?"

I could see he was in agony.

* * *

WOMAN 1: "You show 'em what they're getting for $19.95 -- there isn't anything!"

WOMAN 2: "Yeah. Scott looked and he didn't see any frames he liked."

* * *

WOMAN to another woman: "They just had a sale, didn't they?"

* * *

WOMAN: "Well jeeze, does he work steady? I mean that's not a very steady job, is it?"

* * *

WOMAN to the crying girl in a stroller: (smiling) "This is the last time. Next time, you're not going to the park. Oh look -- see the ducks? See, they're gonna come over here."

* * *

ONE OF TWO WOMEN with parked strollers: (to child) "Did you see the dog?"

Later still: "See the puppy?"

Then: "Did you wanna feed the ducks before we leave?"

* * *

LITTLE GIRL on trike: "Look at the ducks over there."

WOMAN: "You wanna give them a cracker? C'mon, Mum's gonna show."

* * *

MAN to woman: "Have to leave it on their voice message."

* * *

ONE WOMAN to another: "I mean, my gramma can't really . . . do much." There's a sad look on her face as she looks down to the ground.

* * *

WOMAN to a little girl helping to push a baby in a stroller: "Stop that; I'm gonna put you in there." As they pass, the little girl looks at me with big happy eyes above a crescent smile.

* * *

WOMAN: They're lucky you're not suing them for . . . for going to
. . . ."

* * *

AS A GROUP of three and a group of two come from the right, a young woman comes from the left. Her little girl on a metal trike is asking questions, but the mom repeats, "Keep to the side, keep to the side," bending over, with her fingertips on the child's shoulder, guiding her.

The girl is interested in only what's on her own mind while the mother, her face full of concern bordering on fear, likewise is interested only in what's on her own mind.

* * *

A VERY LITTLE GIRL grabs a like-aged boy by the sleeve and cries, elated -- as the boy tries to get away -- "I gotchya! I gotchya! I gotchya! Whatchyer name?"

* * *

61 DEGREES F when the breeze is strong is not all that warm.

* * *

A LITTLE GIRL has a nut, which she puts to her nose. She then holds it out to her mom while sharing information she's apparently discovered about it.

* * *

THERE ARE SEA GULLS here, but they sit like decoys in the center of the lake. If I move closer to the pavilion, I might find some gulls near shore.

* * *

MAN to Woman: "Ya gotta be realistic. Ya gotta tell him . . . ."

* * *

YESTERDAY, I was here briefly, and I heard sea gulls crying like human children.

* * *

A BIG DOG on a leash comes by. He finds me interesting, but the master pulls him back. I throw a monkey wrench into the machine by reaching out my hand. The dog can't resist, and the master, either lacking strength or readiness, finds himself dragged to me. The dog licks my hand as I say, "He always wins."

The man, not returning my smile, finally drags his dog away.

* * *

WOMAN to woman: "Chris! Don't you think I've been through enough this week? -- I'm tired, I'm crabby . . . ."

* * *

WOMAN to child in stroller: "There's another puppy up there, not quite as little as that one."

* * *

TODAY is the first really warm day this year that I've come to the park. And instead of taking the best bench from which to record the passers-by, I couldn't resist taking a seat from which I could more easily watch a beautiful white goose, her long neck bending like a snake, turning her head to peck the feathers on her back.

How fun, I thought, to be able to do that.

Then the ducks came: their heads black from some angles, fluorescent green from others. I watched one chase others that passed too closely, biting their sides, at last pulling loose a feather. He opened his mouth and the booty fell to the green, cigarette-butt-littered grass.

I hoped no child would come and scare them away. But of course, a young couple passed in front of me.

The ducks flew to the water, and the goose ran to some naked trees.

I was upset. But my little friends returned. So, of course, the young couple had to walk past again, with no compassion, no respect.

"What's that white thing?" the woman asked, her voice reeking with disdain, as though the goose were responsible for her ignorance. Her boyfriend replied, and the goose and ducks all flew away.

This time they did not return. I was alone. I had no one but the weather.

* * *

MAN 1, on bike, stops at a drinking fountain: "Is this turned on yet?"

MAN 2: "I don't know -- check it." But the drinking fountain was off.

* * *

WOMAN: "And that was none of his business. And I guess . . . he noticed it and said something --"

* * *

WOMAN: " . . . You can visually see when you're covered with black stuff."

* * *

WOMAN: "That's where it is going worse, it's going right down the hill."

MAN: "No . . . no . . . ."

* * *

WOMAN: "But it don't work yet."

MAN: "Uh-h-h."

WOMAN: "Wanna go try it?"

MAN: "Uh-h-h."

THEY check the drinking fountain.

* * *

HALF-NAKED YOUNG WOMEN behind me play volleyball without a net:

WOMAN: "God, did you see the dust fly off that tree when the ball hit it? Gross!"

* * *

THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED goose has become very friendly to everyone. As people pass him on the sidewalk, he squawks in his throat and pokes his nose slowly at them. Most are afraid and give wide berth. I decide to approach more closely, and we almost touch. I then sit near him and watch a woman and her friend.

The friend is scared, but the woman reaches slowly down and risks a caress or two. The goose becomes intimidated and pulls his head closer to his body.

Woman: "Are you supposed to be this friendly?"

The goose squawks and the woman laughs, perhaps in her way of imitating the sound -- or the human equivalent of the meaning.

* * *

ONE OF THE VOLLEYBALL WOMEN: "Guys, the drinking fountain doesn't work."

* * *

WOMAN: "She didn't believe I was in Minnesota. She said, 'Why'd you wanna go to Minnesota?'"

* * *

WOMAN: "I saw her the other day; she was nice to me, she was really nice to me."

* * *

MAN: "I've heard of it."

WOMAN: (With accent) "Especially in Germany."

MAN: "Germany has all kinds of places where . . . ."

THEY walk hand in hand.

* * *

A YOUNG MOM runs with a little girl and a little boy:

MOM: "Ashton, I'm getting pooped. Slow down. Aren't you getting pooped?"

LITTLE BOY: "She has more life than us."

* * *

IT'S 64 DEGREES, windy and quiescent at the park, as though the wind blew the people away. Looking at that one grassy hill, it's funny how uneventful it all looks. I remember the momentary excitement when I directed four movies here. I had argument scenes between lovers, a man killed by a werewolf, and a dejected woman escaping the chaos of a tense family.

* * *

WOMAN: "The answering machine is gonna get it, so fuck it! And she was pissed."

* * *

WOMAN: " . . . That it really shapes the way you think."

* * *

WOMAN with Dalmatian, talking to woman with chow chow: "If he's off the leash he'll stop, but if he's on . . . ."

* * *

WOMAN: "Um . . . I have to do what I have to do, right? And I told him . . . ."

* * *

WOMAN: "She take it off?"

MAN: "Yup."

WOMAN: "Good for her! Did she have a wonderful day?"

* * *

MAN: "I'll take can goods then. I'll take can goods without the label."

* * *

WOMAN: "So I just lucked it, waiting for somebody to bring it up, but nobody said anything about it."

* * *

WOMAN: "Pavlov . . . Reinforcement . . . ."

* * *

WOMAN: "She had more stories every time I . . . ."

* * *

MAN: "I'm gonna jog and you guys are gonna bike along with me. But wait, I've gotta stretch a little bit first.

LITTLE BOY 1: "What're ya doing?"

MAN: "Stretching."

LlTTLE BOY 2: "Holding up the tree."

* * *

WOMAN: "I mean, I can see doing some of that stuff like in the spring before school gets out, but . . . ."

* * *

ACROSS THE STREET, a man and a boy play catch with a ball and glove. I wonder if, hundreds of years from now when cables laced between telephone poles are only a curiosity of ancient history, people will consider that these high cables were often used as a net over which balls would be thrown.

* * *

WOMAN: " . . . You're getting too pushy . . . ." With determination on her face, she looks down, listens to a headset, and holds a walkman in her left hand -- and walks alone. Perhaps she's rehearsing for a play.

* * *

SQUE-E-E-E-EAK . . . The wheels turn on the little red bike with training wheels. Sque-e-e-e-eak . . . . The basset hound waddles along, his tongue hanging heavy, almost dragging in the sand. Sque-e-e-e-eak . . . . Mommy and Daddy enjoy the weather, enjoy the American Dream. Sque-e-e-e-eak . . . .

* * *

WOMAN: "It's like . . . he never knows what he's doing, ya know . . . ."

* * *

IT MUST'VE reached 80 degrees today, and emerging buds have grown into tender, naive leaves, adding colors revealed by sunlight.

* * *

FOOTFALLS lap at the asphalt walls. The dwoing, dwoing, dwoing of rock music, sounding like a tin spring, cries out from its headset cage.

* * *

MAN: "Well, the reason I moved my Coke -- ah -- my Pepsi can out of the way was to wake him up.

WOMAN: "Did it?"

MAN: "Yes."

* * *

WOMAN 1: "How many Vietnamese?"

WOMAN 2: "10,000."

WOMAN 1: "And 7,000 Cambodians?"

* * *

THE "GETTING TOO PUSHY" WOMAN comes around again, continuing her conversation with the same friend. I don't catch what she says, as I'm having a nice talk with someone who's waiting for a relative.

* * *

WOMAN: "When they get out of the nest, then they don't know what to do -- you know, the little birds? And they cann't fly, and they can't get back into the nest."

* * *

FUNNY she should mention that. I just thought about it myself as I watched little birds flying above the ground, realizing they must spend time learning to fly, becoming expert. Earning their wings.

* * *

MAN to his dog: "Are you tired yet? You wanna rest? Aren't you tired?"

* * *

A YOUNG MAN blows a whistle and puts it up to his girlfriend's mouth, but she resists, smiling.

* * *

WOMAN 1: "You mean she was going all over the place?"

WOMAN 2: "No, she was really going good, but . . . ."

* * *

LITTLE GIRL: "Jessica, will ya get off my bike, please? Thank you."

FATHER: "You asked that in a real nice way. Thank you."

* * *

MAN: "The White House switch board got a call and it went to the Chief of Staff . . . and the President accepted it because he thought it was from William French Smith . . . ."

* * *

DAUGHTER: "Any color but silver."

DAD: "What's wrong with silver?"

DAUGHTER: "All our cars have been silver."

DAD: "That's true."

* * *

A BUTTERFLY juts around, looking territorial but probably just catching food. It occurs to me that butterflies wouldn't get too far being territorial.

* * *

WOMAN: "Doesn't he have any loving for his own cubs? Doesn't he know they're his cubs?"

OLD MAN: "I suppose; that's why he kills 'em."

* * *

I REACH OUT my hand to a Doberman. The dog pays no attention. The master stops:

"C'mon, ???" (dog's name), "can you say hello?" he asks his dog. "Say hello." Then to me: "This is the first time he's been out since the end of winter."

* * *

WOMAN: "Ah -- this is a lot better, starting dinner early . . . ."

* * *

A WOMAN allows her basset and I to indulge in each other.

* * *

THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE here today, but (aside from the holiday) the sun has used the argument of heat to persuade many of them to succumb to inactivity on blankets. As for the others, their words are lost on the white-cap-inducing winds.

* * *

TO A LITTLE GIRL being pulled along by hand, I give the big affectionate eyes usually reserve for dogs. She looks back, her mouth open, mild curiosity in her eyes. She's been well trained to be an American adult.

-- St. Paul, Minnesota.

May 11, 1992

(Revised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin., Nov. 22, 2000)