downtown-uptown blues

Downtown uptown and back

From the moment I took my first step through the busy streets of this cold yet intoxicating city, I couldn't help but wonder why everyone was in a hurry to no where.

Whether I was making my way through the crowded trains during rush hour or pushing my way through the sea of people swarming the theater district before act one, it never failed; my thoughts shifted from the things I needed to learn to the blank stares of those in transit.

Unforunately the blank stares only served distracted me for a few short blocks because somewhere between Columbus Circle and the upper Westside; waiting for me were the shackles that have held me down, the broken promises that were made along the way and the regrets of the risks I was too afraid to take.

I tried to avoid them at all cost but quietly over the years, I surrendered and joined the countless others who had made the city their emotional dumping ground. As I walked deep in thought shedding the layers I built throughout the years I grew overwhelmed by the sadness the city has caused but yet mesmerized by the strength it continued to provide.

Now almost a decade later, somewhere between the abyss of my distress and the walking zombie that have whizzed by; whenever my thoughts begin to shift I notice everything from crack heads hustling for their next fix to drug dealers hoping not to get pinched.

It was among the collage of young mothers with hopeful eyes, young thugs with senseless pride and the immigrant workers struggling to get by, that I began phase two of my journey. I was inspired by the ensemble of people, who against all odds, still mange to survive.