The Hand, 1.12.24 (Souvenirs)
I go into stores and touch the clothes.
Maryland House Sunoco gas station, Aberdeen, Maryland, 11.22.23
The rest stops on I-95 north of Baltimore are like little airport terminals. There were hats for New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, DC, split between dad hats in washed twill neutrals and truckers in patriotic colors: Red, white, blue, golden stars. All these people coming from somewhere, going somewhere else, grabbing a little reminder—or an antecedent.
Crabby Mike’s, Surfside Beach, South Carolina, 11.24.23
The merch counter at the seafood buffet had a t-shirt that reads “American by Birth, Crabby by Nature.”
CNBC News Sarasota Bradenton, Sarasota, Florida, 12.26.23
One of the airport convenience shops had a rack of t-shirts. Soft cotton in a decent thickness, gentle pastels, a map water on the back, maybe to help evoke the dark-damp Florida night air.
Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park, Brooklyn, New York, 12.29.23
The socks are very popular, mostly because you can’t jump on the trampolines without them. The little ones are stripey blue with hot pink accents. The big ones are a rash of neons. All of them are grippy on the bottom. The new-sock feeling is always nice, the brightness enhances a good time.
Yafa Cafe, Brooklyn, New York, 12.29.23
Two mentions of the futah in a book section about South Yemeni independence. Bits from Tim Mackintosh-Smith’s Yemen: The Unknown Arabia, which was on a reading shelf:
“A state of emergency was proclaimed white lasted until the British left and Qahtan, recognised as president, shed his futah and battledress tunic in favour of the former oppressor’s suit.”
“In the UK he became known as ‘Mad Mitch,’ something of a folk hero. Eyes glinting beneath his glengarry, his clipped Sandhurst syllables hardly concealed a note of triumph. The Argylls, pipes skirling and kilts frou-frouing in the land of the checked futah, had retaken Crater after a thirteen-day rebellion by the previously loyal Armed Police.
One wrap garment sent in to crease another. Later: “The first UK-NLF talks began on 21 November 1967 at the Geneva YWCA.” We went to leave, and on the way out I noticed that they had a black-crown-black-bill-white-logo cotton dad cap on the merch shelf.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, New York, New York, 12.30.23
The Fyütch concert in the children’s section of the library gave out little Happy New Year glasses. Paper, sturdy.
Tell me about wearing something that marks time and place.