Neither more nor less

He tried for 20 minutes or so to leave the park by climbing over the padlocked gate . The inexplicably padlocked gate thoroughly befuddled him ; leaving him alternatively lost in long periods of contemplation of his challenge and periods spent resting , overcome by failure in each and every attempt to climb over the gate to freedom . How could it be locked in the middle of the afternoon and how was he to leave the park this afternoon .

Thoroughly soused as always , every attempt to climb over the gate failed , usually at the first lifting of a leg then tottering ; just not enough strength and co-ordination to get up and over the hurdle . Never mind that none of this worried effort was necessary ; the other park gates were of course open .

Friday afternoon the main gate to Tompkins Square Park at the corner of 7th St. and avenue A was inexplicably locked . Though mostly sober , most passers-by were as puzzled as "Cochise" by the padlocked gate . We were told by some that the gate had been closed by NYPD because a film crew was shooting a movie version of "Sesame Street" in the park . Some had further elaborated that an exhibitionist had been exposing himself in the park and that the gate was closed to keep young children out of the park . Specifically the food tent for the movie crew had been flashed in an effort to extort some free food .

Later , at least part of the mystery revealed itself when we saw L.E.S. Jewels in his spring debut "mooning" and "flashing" traffic on avenue A .