the curiosity of love

***the curiosity of love***

(enters, sits down on a lone chair. Wears a gray suit with a black bowler hat, carries an umbrella. Sits and rises throughout.)

You know, love is a very curious thing.
Which makes sense in a sort of curious way,
Living in such a curious world.

(pause)

I was on my way to this chair,
When I happened see a quite a pair.
A young man,

(raises right hand.)

a young lady.

(raises left hand.)

Just sort of…

(thinks, puzzles, comes to an unsatisfactory conclusion.)

looking at each other.

(a reminiscent tone)

And on that one moment I saw them,
I would venture to say they were-
in love.

(returns from reminiscent feeling.)

Now is that not ludicrous?
To think, love,
Quite arguably the most profound capability
That we, as living entities happen to have,
Can be expressed in a single moment.
Just one snippet in time that fate has spared for our use.
It’s madness.
And not madness in the way of…
wackiness, or irony,
Or, girls wear dresses and boys wear pants
When girls are more of the sewing type
And pants are the more challenging of the two pieces.
Just…

(stumbles for words. Puts out hand and purses face in thought. Wiggles fingers and returns to his commentary with a chuckle. )

well, an example.
Since those are generally more relative
Than awe-based banter.

(heads stage right. Walks jovially, swinging his umbrella back towards his chair.)

now, I am a gallant young fellow.
I am merely walking about the park,
(as I ever do because I am quite the carefree type,
And I enjoy that sort of thing.)
And as I am loitering in such a manner,

(begins watching the chair. Keeps eyes set as he walks behind it.)

I happen to spot a charming miss.

(quickly sits on chair, opens umbrella and twirls it looks up to stage left.)

who happens to be ignoring me.

(returns to former role, standing to the stage left of the chair with umbrella closed.)

not wanting to be too forward,

(crosses legs as if sitting next to the chair. Possibly using umbrella to help prop him up.)

I simply sit down closer than I would to say,
Another gentlemen.
Possibly shoot a few polite glances,

(does so)

now, I should attempt to initiate conversation,
but for that,

(stands back up)

we must identify some solid ground.
What can I talk to her about?
I must look for a point of interest.
Now she could be doing several things.
She could be, ahh…
Reading a book. Or…
(beat)

let’s say she’s reading a book.

(returns to ‘sitting’ position)

alright.-we’ve identified a conversational piece,
now, we act upon it.

(turns head to chair as if a young lady resided there.)

oh! J.M. barrie! Quite an author.
‘Peter pan’, might I venture?

(tilts head down and looks closer at the ‘book’ the ‘girl’ is holding.)

indeed it is.
If only life were as grand as peter and the boys had it.

(beat)

no, nothing is wrong with my life,

(looks down and slowly raises head while speaking.)

just, I suppose we could all use a bit more adventure.

(rotates head as so it is facing ‘her’.)

don’t you?…

(a beat as if he has met eyes with the unseen lady. Suddenly rises and breaks out to return to his former tone of a lecturer.)

what just happened?
I might have just fallen in love!
I don’t know the lady’s name,
Her interests, or even a slight hue of her personality.
Yet that spark!
That glimmer as the sun flicks from the coin fate has tossed
To see if these two will complete one another.
And what have we to credit this with?
A bench, f.d.r.’s new deal workers whom raised that park,
And a children’s classic.

(pauses)

possibly this fine umbrella.
And what of our ever-enduring couple?
Maybe the two will become friends and begin meeting on that bench.
Perhaps the conversation will implode when the young lady
discovers the man hasn’t read but a page of barrie’s work.
Or perchance, they are dealt the ever-rare hand of success,
And become each other’s…

(a pause. A lack luster conclusion.)

other.
I certainly don’t know.
And my best guess says they don’t either.
Which makes it all the more curious,
As we have established.
Indeed, if only we were all so fortunate in love
As our young friends.
Perhaps it isn’t so curious when you’re a piece of its puzzle.
Its intently queer puzzle.

(beat)

well. I suppose,

(brushes off chair with hat. Proceeds to brush off hat. Looks left and right. chuckles and grins to himself. )

I ought to leave this chair open.
Maybe it’ll be my young miss who happens to have a seat.

(slightly embarrassed, looks around with a slight smile. Exits stage left.)



thanks for reading. if you have monologues of your own, please write me. i quite enjoy reading them. thanks again for reading.