so i'm standing on 6th and spring waiting for the bus.
the schedule reads 8:04...my cell reads 7:59.
...so i wait.
it's hot as hell, so i stand over the grates, to let
the wind from below blow up my dress. shifting my weight
from foot to foot i observe everyone that i see.
the trendy couple that brief one another on their day.
the loud, bold kids laughing at the cops.
the brazilian looking guy that hums along with his ipod.
it's 8:00.
this man is tall and slim. he has on a white tee...long
jean shorts, jordans, and an 'A' (atlanta) fitted.
...this is familiar.
which really made him stand out...since this is a uniform of the south.
i watch him cross the street with a hugetattered piece of cardboard
flapping in the wind. as he steps up on the curb, i realize
that this is not a light skinned black man, but a middle
eastern guy. i cannot stop staring.
he walks to the side of a building...throws down the cardboard...
glances at me...
takes off his shoes...
and begins to kneel down.
'OHHHHHHHH...dude is about to pray'.
....and he does.
why here?
why now?
8:03
i stare at this man as he kisses his clever prayer mat...
sits back up...
opens his palms upward...
and does it all over again.
people walk by briefly interested...
and then proceed with their previous paces...
(humming tunes, conversing, or being loud).
my eyes refuse to leave him.
he notices no one.
a nun walks by me.
from watching her back, i can tell that she is studying this young man.
8:05
...this is random.
i begin to stare across the street.
SOMEONE IS FILMING THIS.
i look at the apartment building windows...
scan the opposite curb...
glance into parked cars.
....no cameras.
when i look back at him, our eyes meet.
he nods.
puts on his shoes,
picks up his cardboard,
and jogs across the street.
i wanted to speak to him...oddly, i felt drawn to speak.
...but i kept quiet.
he opens the trunk of a parked taxi,
and throws in the ragged piece of cardboard.
he hops in the drivers side...
and drives off.
8:08
i am growing to love new york.
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4 comments:
i know what u mean. new york has such extremities in every way. i always think about how adventurous it is to live here. when you wake up and leave your house- you literally are in so many different places in a day.
you could take the train, walk or cab through so many different sceneries in a matter of minutes.
thats why i love it. especially when there is a soundtrack involved.
its beautiful that ppl work hard here and still do what they do, naturally. i guess thats the hard part about being here. surviving the rush and then having the energy to do you.
thank you for that beautiful snippet of NY life (the subway is crazy-nasty-hot in summer tho, ain't it?). i hope to be like that brother one day.
ps - i just deleted the other one because there was a typo that i didn't catch. ;)
oh my gosh, Pam, that is so beautiful
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