Zigzag

Posted bywordsandcoffee1Posted inPoetry, W3 PromptsTags:, , , , , , , , 
We're tracing our handprints
in sand, pulling feet 
from concrete footprints.
We're slipping through 
the silt, plunging headstrong
through the river.
We're foraging through 
moss and leaves, forming futures in the foliage.
We're embers of yesterday's memories, tracing our handprints in sand.

I’ve written this poem for the Wea’ve Written Weekly prompt at the Skeptic’s Kaddish; this week’s prompt was provided by Suzanne who asks us to do the following:

  • Compose a poem that conveys ‘Movement’, using repetition to move your ideas and imagery forward.
    • You may use repetition in many different ways – repeating sounds, syllables, words, phrases, lines, etc.

A recent trip took my husband and me close to the Appalachian Trail in New York recently (more about that in an upcoming post!), and I was surprised at how close beautiful scenery and waterfalls are to New York City. We went from crushed traffic jams with shrieking horns and shrieking people to peace and tranquility within fifty miles or about an hour and a half. Of course, traversing even one mile in NYC by car took at least twenty minutes, something rural Midwesterners like us found incredibly frustrating because mileage often correlates nicely with time in Wisconsin (Your house is ten miles away? Cool, see you in ten minutes). I’ve been to New York City before but somehow I always manage to forget how awful the traffic is. I think I must repress those memories. 😅

On the way out of the city, I was flustered by all the chaos: people parking in the middle of the street, on the sidewalks–heck, anywhere they could physically park a vehicle; the cyclists and pedestrians calmly weaving through the traffic jams without showing the slightest inkling that they are clearly harboring a death wish; people literally anywhere you could place a person, each one the bearer of a unique and unknown story. It’s overwhelming.

After our retreat, though, when we returned to the city to catch our flight out of JFK, I felt a little less overwhelmed by the chaos, a little more loving of those loud city people jammed onto sidewalks and weaving through traffic jams, and overall relieved that tranquility (if New Yorkers want it) is only a short bus, train, or car ride away.

23 thoughts on “Zigzag”

  1. Haha I loved reading your pov of New York! In Nigeria we usually call it the equivalent of Lagos in terms of crowd so I think I’d feel the same way there. It’s great you and your husband got to also enjoy a tranquil side of it!

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    1. Hah, thank you! There are so many people squished into one small space there– and the cost of living there is astronomical! It makes the mind spin. 😀 One of my students actually did a presentation on Lagos, where he said that it’s predicted to become the world’s largest city within a few decades, so I think the connection is spot-on!

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  6. I’ve lived in NYC 50 years and I’ve never owned a car. In reverse of you, I hated growing up having to drive or be driven everywhere I wanted to go. I was very glad to find a place to live where I didn’t need to own or depend on a car, nor to have to worry about the expense of owning one.

    BTW there actually is beautiful nature in all the boroughs of NYC too. Ocean beaches as well. But not in midtown.

    I like how your poem begins and ends with the same wonderful phrase. (K)

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    1. Thank you! I did really enjoy navigating the city by foot and I do like the subway, but driving was tough, verging on impossible during rush hour 😅 We drove alongside the river at one point, so I did see a few trees; I don’t think we had enough chance to truly explore and see all that the city has to offer– in our two visits, we’ve only really walked/explored in Manhattan, Harlem, and the Bronx, due to the nature of a relative who lives there. We did manage to drive through China Town this time, which I enjoyed, though we didn’t have a chance to physically park and explore much this time.

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      1. Driving really is impossible in the city. They are trying to impose congestion pricing to keep the traffic down, but of course everyone is complaining it’s too expensive. As if driving into the city and paying for parking could possibly be less expensive than taking a train or bus…

        I’m hoping to get down to Chinatown again soon myself with a friend (by subway).

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