Saturday, October 13, 2007

Central Park is a radical departure from the buzz-saw, jarring streets of New York. It is a radical, counter-point to action and memory, the most part a physical idyll, a roamers haven and lastly a good place to sleep.
Not all spots are safe or desirable. Only a few places will fit the criteria that I as a non-homeless person would consider suitable for my partisan bearing. Safe, pleasant, nestled but still randomly frequented by some, and not too afar uptown where the safety factor diminishes, as one gets closer to 110 street. A true but unfortunate reality.
The border sets it off akin to a punctuation mark. Entry is clear unmistakable off set. Most of profoundest memories are miserable the sunny days do not rate. Misery is more fungible than happiness. Misery disappears with relief and happiness never lasts enough and we don't realize it until is gone so this makes us forget about it until our dotage and then that reflects its own sadness. Misery is a wonder place in that it is good to be near a source of food and a place of shelter in case of rain. But this happens infrequently or at the very least can be avoided. Physical discomfort is not a goal or pursuit. A good resting place should be on a full dry patch of grass preferably near a clump of graceful trees allowing a leaf filled view of the sky. Traffic routes either pedestrian or auto should not be too close It is annoying and dangerous. One must determine the likelihood of a freak accident, wayward car or bike; one must ascertain the likelihood of a falling branch or an errant baseball of Frisbee. Finding the ideal spot also had much to do with feel and perspective-trust your instincts. A major factor in finding an ideal spot is the casting of the sun. Too much shadow leads to cold clumps on the back unless a blanket is handy. But planned outings are not part of my routine. Rather I prefer random walks depending on the time of day, the season and the mood I'm in. I rarely retrace earlier routes and never know where I will eventually settle down. Too much sun leads to exhaustion and over heating. Carefully extend the necessary time that is necessary to fully explore the physiological ramifications of the spot. It is the spot as a unitary posture but ever changing experience that we are out to capture. It is nature in contemplation but not set aside and isolated in non-city environment but informed by the very cosmopolitan presence than we are trying got escape although after all is undesirable and impossible. We are not on an event track nor are we trying to learn about anything in particular: the birds the trees the species of plants are incidental to what path we are trying to achieve non –achievement. Blankets though are for picnickers and to for escaping city refugees because that is what we are, refugees from the normal albeit healthy money churning world of New York, globalized. How better to protest that than to a take a nap honing in on the steady humid drone of a city consuming itself and the world for heady glory consumer satisfaction, power and gain.
Memories are seared into place by bright light. Dappled leaves on the blue canopy wrench tears. Reflecting water reverberates with damped frolicking sounds of children. Children’s playground are for children and their parent only. A lonely person doesn't need to be near them, Adults are like foreigners to children only loved ones should be near them. War contaminates them with our presence. The lazy man is an aware man. A sensate man needs all the time he can gather in nature the poetic mind-sense of sleeping. Sleeping in the part is not the end goal. It just happens as a trance imbued with presenceness. Try to stay in one spot for at least two hours. You will notice things that are not obvious to a causal passersby. The barks hew and texture, the incidental sound sleeping adventures are all about our surroundings and what happens around us. Non-interface is a prerequisite of enjoyment. Contentedness like at a fixed focal point like a tree or weed is the proper attitude for really seeing beyond what is patently obvious and trivial. So much happens on small scales the scale of a child or dog. We are age erect and relatively tall. Just as good camera angles are above 6 feet or below good experiences can be found at ground level. It is important to be looking up. Your back to the earth brings you closer to your ashen genesis point. We are set between 2 points- our creations and our death- in this we contemplate our lives by thinking little about anything else. We are learning how to die as we are living. Book' s a hindrance, a ball a distraction; a blanket or a food basket is a happening, a spectacle a bad photograph and unhappy memory, a false image, a frozen snapshot upon which we can pour out maudlin emotions and half-baked recollections. We are a fractured incompetent creature. Only the unintended aspects of your experience will have lasting benefit and uplifting effect and you necessarily store carry them in your head and in your head alone.

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