child

        During the early afternoon he walks westbound and sings along Dundas street in the midst of and impervious to the honking cars that swerve around his thin frame. Blissfully oblivious to the chaos this balladeer approaches the intersection of University Avenue. A few steps are taken on the eastbound lane then a few steps on the westbound as irate, incredulous words are shouted at the unconcerned soloist. Voice raised to compete with the surrounding noise his ballads became words in a sing song Mandarin dialect, and a song and dialect once more. Now at the more lethal intersection of University, on a sudden whim he wove between the paused cars and chose to obey the pedestrian traffic laws. Yet along the walk, the wanderer still retained the dream filled gaze that hinted his motions were more whim than choice.
         This child demeanoured wanderer stays mostly within the Dundas and Spadina area which is the heart of Chinatown. In the early mornings, he would stand on the corners and loudly carry on. Those passerby�s and transit patrons unacquainted would think they were in the midst of an argument. It was the regular who uttered than sang out a string of indecipherable words than a continuous animated dialogue in his dialect.
        In the mornings in Chinatown when the market stands are set up for the day, those who live in the district walk to work or to the flow of streetcars. When the sun shines on the discarded balsa wood and waxed cardboard crates and left over aged vegetables, leaves and roots are left on the curb to slowly decompose. Vans pull to the curb to unload trays of fish on beds of ice that are placed on crate stacks.
        The �regular� is of Asian descent, and above average height for his race. Black, dream soaked eyes are set in a light, unblemished caramel complexion. Across his face fall long strands that brush over his face and longish black locks combed behind his ears to almost touch the base of the neck. Several sizes too large, his clothes do nothing more than cover the wanderer�s body.
        His expression held the most weight, a wistful demeanor that belonged to a daydreaming child. Yet when someone is described as childlike, it is often associated with retardation. Yet children are the contrary; intensely alert, energetic, quick minded and have not yet grasped the fetters of inhibition.
        When adults behave like children, they are no longer accepted into what is for most, the inevitable community. Perhaps this is no great loss given the kind of world adults have carved up for themselves. Rather, what those eyes gaze at is another projected state as opposed to the very adult internalized day and nightmare of the mentally ill.