[POETRY] New York of…

 

I’m currently reading “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. I’m truly enjoying it and can’t wait to finish. Anyway, the point is that the novel has inspired me to do a bit of writing. Martel has a writing style that I was tempted enough to try to imitate. In chapter 35, as the Patel family is leaving India, Pi lists all of the things his mother would miss about India. So, I decided to write my own piece about New York. While I don’t think it’s quite finished yet and I will most likely come back to it again and again for additions and subtractions, I thought I’d share it regardless.

New York of…

Of dog lovers in Central Park.

Of 153 square blocks of green surrounded by steel grey.

Of subway performances and subway beggars.

Of unity in diversity—Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village.

Of taxi cab drivers attempting to run you over.

Of absentminded tourists walking with their eyes—and their cameras—pointing towards the sky.

Of grumbling natives side-stepping around them during lunch breaks.

Of gyro carts, bicycle taxis and modern horse and buggies.

Of dinosaur exhibits at the Museum of Natural History.

Of monkeys, polar bears and giraffes at the Bronx Zoo.

Of hours spent in the local public library doing everything, but reading.

Of fierce drag queens, men in prosthetics on trains and undiscovered street artists.

Of slushy snow residue covered streets.

Of sun-reflecting skyscrapers.

Of twin towers suddenly brought down.

Of communities brought together by loss.

Of longing glances into 5^th avenue shop windows and their clientele.

Of metaphorical big apples.

Of bright light illuminating 3am as if it was noon.

Of a city that never sleeps.

Of a people who are more than unique.

New York.

 

So…. what do you think? Any good?

Did I miss an essential aspect of what makes New York what it is? If so, leave your suggestion in the comments!

 

Laters,

Tuma

Bird on Rock - Central Park - Mid July

One more that I want to share. Close up of a bird I saw at Central Park. I like the clash of color around the bird, the gray of the rock and the greenish-yellow of the pond (or weird stuff in pond. Is it algae or something? Have no clue.). The quality of the pic isn't too good. I must have shook the camera as I took the shot. Didn't have a chance to re-take cause we know birds are not tied down to the land. lol

Well, without further adieu... Bird on Rock.

Until Next Time,
Tuma

Gal in Tree (yes, I suck at titles, bite me!) - Central Parl - Mid July

Last one for today, folks!

The gal is the picture is my little sis. She's 8. We'd gone to the park together after a trip at the museum. Lemme tell ya, just as she got into that tree and I took the shot, a park ranger came up and we got into trouble! lol Totally worth it though. You might find it interesting to know that there was an odd, old guy in the background, but I Photoshopped him out. I rarely edit my pics, but I decided he wasn't interesting enough to keep! lol

Until next time,
Tuma

P.S. I think this signature is even harder to find, but not too hard. Can you do it? :)

Rainbow of Flowers - Central Park - Mid July

Hey again!

Here's photo number 2 for today.

The following photo was also taken in Central Park, on the same day (actually all three of the pictures I'm posting today were taken on same beautiful summer day). What I like best about this is the smorgasbord of color and texture! You have the dark plum leaves in the lower left corner, splash of red whatevers in the upper left, light pink in center, light blue off center right, and plain green in the upper right.

Later,
Tuma

*P.S. Can you find my signature in this one? xD*

Flower Close up - Central Park - Mid July

Hello World!

It's been a while, but as you can see I'm still alive and kicking...barely. School is totally KICKING (and yes, it had to be both capitalized and italicized!) my ass! Who knew being an Education major would be so tough. I mean our own high school teachers never seemed too impressive, right?Who would have thunk that they'd gone through four years of hell?

Anyway, on to business. Semi-new photos. New as in you've never seen them before (DUH), but they've been sitting on my hard drive forever. Finally got around to small edits and copyrighting them bad boys.

Below is a closeup of a pink flower I shot at Central Park (I love that place!). I'm no botanist, so I have no clue what type of flower, I just know that it's pretty and pink (my fave color). And the shot is what I believe to be a good one. The color of the flower is sharp and bright and nicely focused and the unfocused background helps to enhance it. The shadows are also a nice touch, I think.

Also, I don't know if you'll notice or not, but I've started blending my signature (i.e copyright) into the photos, so that you have look hard for them. I figured this way, they don't distract from the image. Can you find it in this one? Not too hard, just think green. ^__^

As always, comments and critics are welcome!

Laters,
Tuma

*Two more photos to share after this one, at least that's the plan*

Hearst Tower - NYC

 

Author’s Note: Think of this as a funky apartment building, even though it’s the Hearst Tower in NYC. I’ve always had an interest in other people’s home life. I’m curious about the things that happen behind other’s close doors. Do the siblings fight as much as I do with mine? Do the parents get along or do they fight? Etc etc. I guess you could say, I’m just nosy as hell! Below is the first of a series of dabbles I'm planning on writing about. We'll see if I actually get to all of 'em! ^____^ Enjoy as always. And please do comment.

Room 102: Father comes home from work and finds his small children are home all alone.

He turns the key and unlocks the door, shouldering his way in, hands full of his briefcase and a bag of treats for the children. As soon as he steps inside, he feels that something is wrong. The silence is out of place for a home with 3 children, ages two, five and six. The usual sounds of Liz finishing up dinner, Kate playing house with her dolls, Mike having a wild police chase with his matchbox cars and Sammie tottering to greet his “da da” aren’t present. A strange and sudden fear grips his heart as he drops his bags at the door and begins calling their names. “Liz… Katie, where are you darling?” “Michael… Sam, can you boys hear me?” With each repetition of their names, his anxiety quickly transforms to panic, making it harder to draw a breath. Suddenly, he stops and sharply turns his head. He’s heard something…a muffled sniffle coming from the Master bedroom. He slowly makes his way inside, straining to hear something… anything, as he stands still in the center of the room. There, he hears it again. The muffled sound of someone afraid of being heard is coming from the walk-in closet. He walks over cautiously with one hand outstretched to grab hold of the knob and slowly inches the door open. The sight revealed to him, is one that grabs him by the heart and squeezes painfully. His Kate, his Mike and his Sam—are huddled together on the floor of the closet with tear-tracks staining each of their beautiful faces. “D-daddy,” his oldest Kate says brokenly. “Mommy… mommy left”. And she begins to cry, her little brothers following her lead. And that’s when he notices the vastness of the half-empty closet open before him. As his children cry and his own tender heart breaks, he comes to the realization that the large partly empty closet, in which the four of them are huddled, is filling up—with the sorrow of children losing their mother and a man losing his wife, the confusion and anger of her leaving without a word, the fear of something having happened to the kids, the love he has for his children and the strength to go on because of that love.

 

“Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.” -Charles Dickens

 

Photograph © Fatuma Hydara 2009, NY.

Short Story © Fatuma Hydara, 2011.

Huddled on a flattened cardboard box and wrapped in old blankets, I try to sleep to no avail. Asleep, the hunger pangs will be less crippling. Asleep, I can dream and pretend that nothing has changed. Asleep, I am in my 3-bedroom apartment on Madison. It’s nearly Christmas and the tree’s decorated with countless ornaments in red, green, silver and gold. There’s popcorn strings and strings of light, all topped with a beautiful shining angel. I’m on the couch and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is playing on a 60 inch flat screen. It’s my daughter’s favorite movie and she’s tucked underneath my left arm, partly in my lap and half asleep. My lovely, beautiful wife is on my right. As close as can be allowed, her thigh is touching mine and her head is lying on my shoulder. I feel the warmth of her thigh against mine, her left hand in my right and her small puffs of breath softly grazing my neck. The warmth spreads through every cell in my body and makes me feel alive.

I gently smile in my sleep, just before the dream changes. Now, there’s screaming, arguing, accusations, words I don’t want to hear. I work too hard. I never spend time with them. There’s another woman. I want a divorce. She takes everything from me—my little girl, the house, the car, but most of all the warmth. I begin dying slowly inside without the warm contentment. And the final, piercing blow to my already cold heart—joining the ranks of the unemployed.

From there, it’s a nauseating roller coaster ride through emptying my saving, moving to a much smaller apartment and beginning the job hunt. The confidence that I’d be employed soon made way for an anxiety as the bills came more frequently than the phone rang. Then depression as I realized I truly had nothing—no family, no job, no money, no life. Three months soon turned into six, which turned into a year. By then, it was too late. My savings were gone and the unemployment checks were not enough to continue paying rent. I was on the streets.

I wake suddenly and for a few seconds, I believe that the lights reflecting off the glass doors are red, green, silver and gold and I feel warm. Soon, the cold seeps into the cushion of warmth left by my dreams, dispelling them and I’m jolted back into my harsh reality. I am invisible, insubstantial. I am one of the city’s homeless.

FLOWERS!

I've always had what you'd call a "thing" for flowers. They attract me intensely with their colors, shapes, and beauty. Below are a few flower themed pics I've taken over the last year or so. ENJOY!

 These were taken in Central Park, New York.

 Again Central Park, NY.

 Central Park, NY

 Pleasantville, NY

Taken near the Metro North Train Station near my school (Pace U.)

 Also, Pleasantville, NY.

From Pville also!

Two Libraries are better than one!

This is a pic of my college campus, Pace University (Pleasantville, NY). I love how the Library is reflected somewhat in the pond.

Condemned Building: Bronx, NY

Another final print from my Intro to Photography course. This is a favorite fave of mine! ^___^ What do you think?

NYC Subway

This semester I'm taking an Intro to Photography course. It's a Black & White film photography course and this is one of my final prints. What'd ya think?

Shadow Trees

Trees & Flowers: Central Park

Hey Guys,

Here's a few photos I took in Central Park, last Spring. I love Central Park during the Spring..It simply EXPLODES with color. The flowers are stunning shades!

As Always, COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED!

So, what do you think?