Conversation with Treetop

On Sunday I set up a table at the drum circle in Leimert Park and sold my photo cards. Well, didn't sell close to what I wanted to sell, but that's a differnt post. I did take some very beautiful shots (that I will sell later) and I had some great conversations with folks down there.

One of the converstions was with a man I didn't imagine myself to be sitting for hours talking with. Treetop is his name. Very interesting man, and he let me take his picture. Treetop was clearly drunk, not clean and looked like he slept outside somewhere. He sat down next to me and started telling me about his music and how he stared to play the guitar (which he carried on his shoulder). He put his beer down long enough to sing me a song. Many songs. And I enjoyed them. He harrassed a couple of customers into buying from me and it worked. I offered him the money and he say "Nawwwwwww, thas yo muthafuckin money and you shol betta take it!"

He went on to tell me about a woman, a woman he called a broad. Not my favorite term.

"Why do you call her a broad?"

"What the fuck is the difference?"

"Well, the difference between you calling a broad or a woman could be the love she gives to you."

"Thas why you don't know shit! You wanna know what's the difference between a broad and a muthafuckin' woman?"

"Yeah."

He thought about it and then spoke. "A broad is a woman that you don't know that well. After you spend some time with her and get to know her, if she's cool, then she can be a woman. If not, she still a broad."

"Oh."