The Bad Portrait Artist

We were leaving Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon tribute in Central Park.  There is a crowd every day, despite the weather, all day long, despite the time.  Everyone is having a picture taken sitting next to the Imagine mosaic.  There is a crowd around the mosaic waiting their turn for a photo.  The area is surrounded by park benches, full of tourists watching this spectacle unfold.

On one of the benches nearby, a local is belting out Beatle songs on an acoustic guitar.   His guitar case is laying open on the ground holding a half dozen dollar bills.  He nods a thank you to each contributor dropping their money into his coffer.  The whole scene seems more reverent than commercial.

A few steps down the path sits a young man, a little disheveled, a few days from his last shave.  He has a homemade easel set up that reads: Bad Portraits…