|
About This Author
My name is Joy, and I love to write.
Why poetry, here? Because poetry uplifts its writer, and if she is lucky enough, her readers, too. Around us, so many objects abound to write about. Once a poet starts with a smallest, most trivial object, he shall discover that his pen will spill out what is most delicate or most majestic hidden inside him. Since the classics sometimes dealt with lofty subjects with a lofty language, a person with poetry in his soul may incline to emulate that. That is understandable. Poetry does that to a person: it enlarges the soul and gives it wings. Yet, to really soar, a poet needs to take off from the ground.
 
|
Everyday Canvas
"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
David Whyte
This is my supplementary blog in which I will post entries written for prompts.
September 2, 2014 at 1:05am September 2, 2014 at 1:05am
| |
In August we went back to NYC. One can never run out of moments and memories in Manhattan. While there, I wrote longhand on paper sheets instead of my blog or personal journal. Consulting those notes, I came across a few memories, and now I am picking one of them.
We were in a lounge having wine and watching the sun set over the city. My camera was on the side of the table. I thought, how odd that in a city that used to be my home, I am now a tourist.
Just then our waiter-slash-hostess appeared with munchies. She had a tiny coil pierced into the edge of one ear. Other than that, she was very proper, thin, and shapely in her black two piece suit. One could take her as a Wall Street executive. She seemed to be in her thirties, with a well-tanned face that carried a hint of boyishness, despite the seriousness of her dark rimmed glasses.
When she saw my tiny camera, she offered to take our pictures. I gladly accepted. She took the camera and frowned. Then she changed some things about it, explaining all the while what she was doing, using photographer words like ISO, shutter speed, etc. Then she took a few shots.
"Are you a photographer?" I asked.
"I actually am," she said. She explained she had a tiny store in the village and was working in the lounge to keep her store open. I knew almost immediately that I was talking to an artist.
In a big city, finances are one of the tough realities of being an artist, which rarely attracts attention or is talked about. With sky-high rents, finding and maintaining work space and being able to support oneself at the same time is a gargantuan undertaking. But the photographer/hostess said, it was all worth it for her because the city inspired her the most.
I think it is disappointing when an artist has to struggle like that in order to express and contribute to a worldview of beauty, peace, love, and joy, but then all art has a price, in monetary terms or not, and this is the way of the vibrant and energetic City of Manhattan.
Fourteen Pros and Cons of Living in Manhattan
1. Tons of stuff going on. You can't be bored.
2. NY is the launching pad for careers, if you are lucky and know how to take advantage of opportunities
3. There are many free things to do, such as concerts, classes, and libraries.
4. There are things to do also that are educational that may be for a small price or very costly.
5. It is a heaven for people watchers.
6. Most talented artists from all arts live here.
7. Public transportation is great.
8. The city is quite safe.
9. Rents are high, and if you are not a multimillionaire, be ready to live in a one room place while sharing it with a roommate.
10. Restaurants, grocery stores, and more or less everything is costly.
11. If you are looking for a serious relationship, don't look for it here. Each is for his own.
12. Places may become loud and smelly.
13. Streets in downtown, especially on the weekends, can be too crowded, and not just the traffic but the sidewalks as well.
14. Taxes are way too high.
------------------------------
Prompt: Think back on the month of August 2014. Find a moment, one moment, that stands out in your memory - be it good, bad, or a little bit of both. Share it with us.
(inspired by prompt suggestions from Elle # - Thanks)
And, LISTers, remember to include your list. 14 items linked in some way to your blog entry.
|
© Copyright 2024 Joy (UN: joycag at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Joy has granted InkSpot.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
|
Comment • View 4 comments 
