Written by Joe Janes
1/12/10
359 of 365
CAST:
Frank, 30s
Tom, 70s
Cop, 40s
Four homeless people, various ages
Four elderly people, 70s
(Lights up on a park bench. We hear the sound of pigeons cooing. Frank, a homeless man, is sifting through a garbage can. Tom, an elderly man, enters with a paper bag and sits down. Frank sees him and holds out his hand. Tom shrugs as if to say he has nothing. Tom sits on the bench and starts feeding the pigeons bread crumbs from the bag. Frank notices this. A cop enters.)
COP
Sir, please don’t feed the pigeons.
TOM
But-
COP
Pigeons are known to carry disease and their droppings are both noxious and unsightly. If you feed them, more of them will show up and we will have more pigeons than this park can handle.
(Tom nods and folds the paper bag closed. The pigeon sounds fade. The cop exits.)
FRANK
Hey, Mister. Can you help a guy out?
(Tom thinks for a moment and starts throwing breadcrumbs at Frank, who catches them in his mouth. Four other homeless people appear from various directions and starts begging for crumbs. Tom obliges them. The cop re-enters.)
COP
Sir!
(Tom folds the bag closed. The homeless people all sulk away. The cop is satisfied and exits. Tom sits looking lonely. He opens the bag and nibbles on a crouton. Suddenly, four other elderly people appear out of nowhere, all dressed similarly to Tom.)
COP (offstage)
Sir!
(Blackout.)
1 comment:
Kind of depressing, but interesting. Every time there is an image of bread crumbs being tossed and humans involved I think of that horrible excerpt from either Night or maybe one of Primo Levi's books (can't remember which one) when a father and son are on a death march, and the officer throws a bit of bread crust and both the father and son practically fall over each other trying to reach it first... what hunger and desperation can do to people.. as for pigeons they are like cockroaches of the air, but interesting to observe ...
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