In the rear-view mirror suddenly
I saw the bulk of the Beauvais Cathedral;
great things dwell in small ones
for a moment.
[Auto Mirror, Adam Zagajewski]
After fleeing the city in a small Cruiser packed with my college room in boxes and two very accommodating people, I feel like I am standing in a timestop, New York City looming like a patient, glowing vibration behind me and vast, unknown expanses before me.
I wrote this last summer, when I was caught in a much smaller world of travel between Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, east Chinatown, and occasional romps in other boroughs:
I love this city, and I love that it seems to take on its own character regardless of the people who build it and inhabit it and sweat through it and scrub its concrete and drown themselves in its supply of alcohol. I look up, see a view, and I think the city is quietly showing itself off. Yes, this is who I am, you almost forgot, didn’t you. I will push many of you away, to more peaceful suburban lifestyles, to space, to comfort, and then you will forget, but I will stay here, throw my buildings into the air, allow these metal vehicles to hurtle through my underbelly a thousand times a day.
And now I stand with this love behind me, facing this vague future armed with ideals, a sense of seeking poetry, and some mad paper writing skillz. I don't doubt that I'll find disillusionment and loneliness, but something is compelling me to go, to fail, to see, to learn what caring means. They say there are 360 days of sunshine a year in South Dakota. I'll find something on those bleached plains, underneath stars I can actually see.
This is just to say, I have left New York after four tumultuous years, and will be on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota from June 21st through August 27th. I'll be interning at an organization called Re-Member (www.re-member.org), helping them with advocacy campaigns and youth outreach. On September 1st, I will be taking off for Lima, Peru, from which I will make my way to Chile, home of Pablo Neruda, the southernmost vineyard in the world, and penguins. Hopefully I'll be able to document some of my travels and thoughts in this blog, so follow at will. I don't doubt that there will be some random musings that will make it in here as well.
holy mother of God, it's Jamie Chen.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I replaced my phone so I lost your number. I need it again to contact you but apparently you don't get signal in the Dakotas. :( perhaps we can still try? All i remember is 240 something-something-something...
How far is S.Dakota from LA? Maybe I'll come visit you? I really miss you, you silly rabbit...
POSTCARD PLEASE! i'll give you the address to my new apt soon. I won't be going back to MD (aka the soul sucking suburbs) so chances are I won't see you at all until you've finished your trip in Chile :( booo.
I don't know if I told you but I finally came to terms with deciding my future career - being a writer! I'm going to try to "scene-it" out here in LA and join some poetry/writing circles (or start one!) If you write stuff, please send it to me, I'd love to read what you're writing :)