It's one of those rare, stunningly gorgeous spring days in Brooklyn, when the air is clear, the sky is blue, and the sun somehow highlights what green lives in this city and makes it glow in stark relief against the gray of concrete. I've been aimlessly wandering in my neighborhood most of the day, strolling through the farmer's market, perusing the flea market, petting strangers' dogs, and browsing shops I haven't visited in awhile. It's been a lovely, relaxing day and even though I grow increasingly more restless here, overall I have been content.
Of course two small things broke my heart today, and they stand in sharp contrast to the rest of the day. The first involved pigeons. Although everywhere else in the world I don't terribly mind pigeons, in New York City, I'm not-so-secretly disgusted by them. However, my distaste was trumped by the site of two pigeons under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. I happened to glance over and almost cried when I saw one pigeon gently preening another, which was lying dead on the ground. I don't know how many emotions birds experience, but witnessing this exhibition of something so much like grief in these two small creatures caused heartbreak number one.
Heartbreak number two came when wandering down Havemeyer Street while taking a different way back to my place. Amidst old, plain residences and construction frames on what will presumably become more "luxury" high rises, I noticed a sign with no-nonsense red lettering hanging out in front of a restaurant with open windows: "Kenny's Trattoria." Inside was decorated simply in brown wood. There was no one in the restaurant except a middle-aged man sitting in a chair, gazing outside, slowly rubbing his hands together, waiting. With little to no foot traffic in that part of the neighborhood, I wondered how long he'd been waiting on customers who hadn't come. The site of the empty tables and the faraway look on his face caused literal pain in my chest. How many days has he passed, waiting for customers to buy meals so he can pay his overhead? I hope not many; I hope that this is an unusual off day. But how many times does this happen to people who work hard and save to open a business and live the American dream, only to be disappointed? The near-continual shuttering of restaurants and businesses around me lets me know that the answer to this question is "all the time."
So that's really all--sunshine with a few passing clouds today for me. For others, I hope those clouds dissipate soon.
