173. north avenue beach house from the top of the john hancock
from up high
everything down below seems tiny
a unique vantage point
to put life into perspective
we are a tiny particles dancing
in a boundless playground
so let go of your worries
embrace your dreams
and fly high
117. old loneliness
sitting alone on a cold bench in the middle of a stairwell in hong kong, an old lady rests her tired, anguishing bones.
clutching at her belongings, she seems to be hanging on to life itself.
a ray of warm light bursts through the clouds, slips between the oppressive buildings, lighting her soul on white fire.
115. tiffany’s
right in the heart of downtown chicago, there is a jewel in a box.
despite its offputting ‘tinted office-building windows’, the chicago cultural center has a lot to offer.
What used to be a library is now a thriving cultural center holding artist events and exhibitions of all kinds.
as i walked up to the louis sullivan exhibition, a lively youth poetry slam greeted me in the lobby.
beyond nurturing the arts, its interior holds invaluable architectural treasures, like the great dome.
a dazzling spectacle of light, it is claimed to be the world’s largest tiffany stained-glass dome.
it is the centerpiece to a larger than life room dedicated to the gods of literature.
marble mosaics rivaling justinian and theodora show the names of the great authors of humanity, along with some memorable phrases encrusted on every surface of the airy space.
there i sat, along with miguel de cervantes and walt whitman.
i stared at ralph waldo emerson’s name in carrara mosaic tiles and smiled at some of my favorite compositions of the written word.
112. the bean
resembling the orb we live in, the silver bean reflects its surroundings and bends them along its curves.
in it, i see a beautiful metaphor of life, and the funny ways it twists and bends and comes back around to greet you.
to embrace you.
its given name by anish kapoor, its creator, is ‘cloud gate’.
a fitting frame for chicago’s backyard, the millennium park.
