Oct 11 2010

Oasis of Life

At the corner of 17th Avenue and Broadway, a young man built an oasis into his condominium.  The tall corner window stretches floor to ceiling and a red snapping turtle swims lazily, turning to watch  puzzled passersby.  I peek through the window and see wide fountains and  housebound pools.  Succulent plants  stretch over  stones gathered from creeks, bookcases, and a long-abandoned guitar.  Life explodes in there, its momentum propelling it  under the door frame and through the cracks in the caulking.  It  strikes neighbors and pedestrians  with the urge to stand still and quietly overflow.  Girls walk by, on cell phones and amphetamines.  They  stumble  in their animated conversations, never sure what has shaken them.

Musical Inspiration: A Shoreline DreamPeel You Open.  No real background to this story, except that I like the band.  They did a great song with Ulrich Schnauss, too.

Image “Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary” from Wikimedia Commons.