Redeeming a Saw Memory

When I was busking at 14th street subway station a man told me he had a defining memory of saws from when he was 5 years old, growing up in Porto Rico. His uncle was a handsaw maker. One day the uncle’s horse kicked his son and injured him badly. The uncle was so mad at the horse that he ran after it with a saw, to kill it. The man in the subway, who was 5 years old at the time, knew it wasn’t the horse’s fault – the son threw stones at it, which is why the horse kicked.
So, the guy in the subway had a horrible memory of a saw killing a horse. Hearing angelic music being made with a saw was kind of a redeeming experience for him today, 40 some years later.
Today’s experience for me, meeting this guy – priceless!

Photographer: David Smith