Page 16 Winter 1986 - 87
The Great Heavyweight Juggler
by Orrel Lanter
From
his pile of things on the San Francisco street Donnia Ray Smith takes
a wide silver weight
As
he leans back against the belt the cable car begins to inch forward.
He picks up his pace and it follows reluctantly. The bowling balls
circle in a cascade 10 feet overhead. So awed is the crowd surrounding
him that he has to remind them that this would be a good time to
applaud. They roar appreciatively until the next cable car arrives to
carry them away from his outdoor stage.
Smith
removes the belt and slowly mops
his forehead. At 5 feet, 11 inches and 225 pounds, he is a
large man. His hands can
"Just
remember, the more you give the more I have. I'm ugly, but I'm
friendly... and I could have been your son!" he quips with the
next crowd gathering for a cable
car at the Bay and Taylor turnaround in San Francisco. For the
past two years this informal,
open-air stage just above Fisherman's Wharf has been his performing
turf.
Grabbing
three torches and getting a light from a visiting Japanese tourist, he
does single, double and triple spins, then pops one up to a balance on
his broad nose. "You don't see that at Sea World," he
chuckles. Shrugging his neck, the torch drops to his hand. "This
is China Town
But
Ray, the Heavyweight Juggler, sees time passing too quickly as he
works the street. He's ready for something better. |
Donnia Ray Smith All photos by Orrel Lanter |