Buddy the Gourd!

I'm sorry if I bugged you, Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono, who has lived for a long time
in Japan and the U.S.
many places
who has experienced war
childbirth, art happenings
live personal performances, experienced love,
violence
Yoko, who has imagined the craziest things,
have you ever read grapefruit?
She is here today and I am standing next to her
Of all the experiences she has had,
off all of her imaginings and now
I am
being experienced
by her
I
have her attention
I am
in her view
for three seconds
I am handing her a card with
a picture of Buddy the gourd and her web address
and saying
something like
it's my gourd's web page
and I
thought she'd like it.
She says okay, thanks.
But I can hear her thinking, oh boy what a loser trying to get me to look,
get me to look at her stupid web page
Boy, I've been here before

In the preceding hour
when she'd talked to the audience
She expressed how she loved us all
I didn't feel that love at the moment
She also said how it was our cells
that loved each other
But that our conscious thought,
our politeness
kept us from expressing it
Maybe her cells had been screaming
with delight on seeing Buddy's picture
on the card I handed her

People had been clamoring and
rushing forward with their cameras,
posing with Yoko
as if they'd known her a lifetime
I had been waiting patiently for the longest time
when the crowd surged forward seeing her re-appear
Yoko, that's why I pulled on your shirt sleeve to get your attention
that's why I made that awkward statement
I forgot to express my long admiration
for your work
especially your music
because of the surging crowd getting bigger and bigger
impolitely not even noticing me

I am just a quiet person
who believes she has a gourd as a friend
a gourd with her own web page

A gourd who is free to live an exciting life
board a plane whenever she pleases
to leave behind the cold frozen Minnesota winter
to be admired and painted by famous artists
throughout the ages

Buddy can watch an unlimited number of movies
being able to maneuver her two inch frame through
the movie house door unnoticed
Unnoticed
Buddy has done so many wonderful things
I may not get to be Buddy
but I get to point a magnifying glass in her direction
so others can enjoy her adventures,
find out about her glory

Buddy not needing money to survive
is sustained by breathing the air
and feeling the earth beneath her
Doesn't need anything, food, sleep or money
Doesn't need anything
but like the plastic birds
enjoys drinking a cup of coffee
Doesn't need a job, which is good
Who would hire her?
Who would believe in her existence
let alone her competence and trustworthiness?