A few days ago, I was walking down none other than South Congress Avenue. If you’ve ever had the pleasure to stroll this sidewalk, you will often find a variety of artists – ranging from fiddle players, painters, jewelers – and much more. Usually, I browse these vendors with flippancy, window shopping with no intent on buying anything with my ‘college kid’ budget. However, on this particular day, I was feeling defeated. School had taken a toll, fatigue was kicking in, and after several shops, I still had not found the item I was searching for.
So as I sulked in my last attempt to find this item, two young men dressed in suspenders and newsboy hats called to me and I skimmed their sign – “Hey! Do you want a poem?” I have seen many kinds of artists on South Congress, but never an impromptu poet. My automatic response to vendors is a polite “No thank you :)”, yet something about their obscurity intrigued me. After a moment of hesitation and reading their sign – “pick a word, pick your price” – I agreed. The word I asked them to write about was ‘Austin’. I chose this word because this city is one I am new to, but am quickly growing to love. He smiled and immediately began clacking on his vintage typewriter. As I sat on a stone bench, I watched as his brain beautified all of the inner workings of the city and portrayed its essence on a small slice of paper. A few minutes went by before he gave me a proud look and handed me the note. To say the least, the poem was beautiful. I won’t fully quote his poem for mystery’s sake, but I will say that it discussed Austin’s changing heart and love for its people and the arts.
The real names of these talented artists are Adam Jones and Noaa Rienecker; and these poets’ profound talent can be found “most days” on South Congress, as quoted from one of them when asked when they are typically out. So whether you’re feeling down or having the best day of your life, I highly recommend saying “yes!” when someone asks if they can write you a poem.
Thanks & Hook ’em :)