The Old Man Who Sings

We never got more of a name than that. He's thin. Grizzled. But, nicely dressed and groomed. He says he's 64 years old, and that he's been in New Orleans for 50 years. He says, he came to the city on a vacation when he was a teenager, and just never went home. We can relate to the desire to just never leave. In fact, as our plane was winding down to the runway, passing over the lights on Lake Pontchartrain, I realized the giddy feeling I get is very much like when I'm driving to the Old People's house and I'm almost there. Later, that evening, the Phenom commented that it feels like a homecoming to arrive in the city.

Anyway, we were sitting on a bench on the Moon Walk, watching the boats glide down the Mississippi, when the Old Man Who Sings approached us. He had the opening and pleasantries that many of those who make their livings on the street open with: how nice we look . . . how we seem to be a happy couple, how attractive we are. . . etc. And, he introduced himself . . . as "I am the Old Man Who Sings" and announced that he would like to sing for us. He listed 12 singers . . . from BB King to Otis Redding and asked each of us to select one. For each singer we selected, he listed of several songs to choose. And, then, in nearly perfect voice . . . with no more accompaniment than his own snapping fingers, he sang. His eyes closed . . . deep into the song, in reverence for the artist, and in communion with his own soul, I imagine.

While he was singing, the bells of St. Louis Cathedral chimed the hour . . . and it seemed absolutely the perfect comment on this man, his talent, the city, and the moment.

We asked what he did during the storm. He said he lost everything he had. I imagine that he does not have a television . . . or spend his days obsessively clicking through channels. He said he had been rescued from a roof top by helicopter and evacuated to Houston. He said he has two daughters in Houston who were able to take him in . . . until they evacuated for the recent storm, and that he had only recently returned to his beloved city himself.

We tipped him well . . . as much for his music as for his resilience. He is only one of the many many reasons I believe New Orleans is a great testament to this country . . . to humanity. And, he is one of the reasons I love that place so much.