How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
This is not bad –
ambling along 44th Street (1-2)
The speaker's use of the word "ambling" in these lines gives us a sense of relaxed, aimless wandering. This speaker isn't rushing to get somewhere, and he doesn't have any dinner plans to catch. He's just enjoying the moment.
Quote #2
[…] the five of us, instrument and all,
are about to angle over
to the south side of the street
and then, in our own tightly knit way,
turn the corner at Sixth Avenue (35-40)
Sure, it's not a grand "plan" to angle over to the south side of the street, but it's a plan nonetheless.
Quote #3
And if any of you are curious
about where this aggregation,
this whole battery-powered crew,
is headed (41-44)
These lines address us speakers directly. Maybe we're "curious," as the speaker says, about where this musical gang is going. By raising the question of where the speaker and his musicians are going, these lines bring up the question of plans. What are these dudes up to?
Quote #4
the only true point of view,
is full of hope that he,
the hub of the cosmos
with his hair blown sideways,
will eventually make it all the way downtown (45-50)
These lines make it clear what the speaker's big "hope" is: to make it "downtown." That's a pretty modest hope, we think. He's enjoying the moment and living in the present, taking in the beautiful music, the nice weather. And in this way, the speaker's hopes and plans are modest because hey, he's so engrossed in the moment that he isn't interested in thinking about anything beyond getting downtown.