Guardian of Gotham
Guardian of Gotham.
Protector of a Nation's sunlit skies.
Each coo, a declaration
From a heart madly asunder.
His million dollar view of the Hudson
suffered from obstruction
not so very long ago.
Photo by ZeroOne / Foter.com / CC BY-SA
This weekend's Trifextra is a photo challenge, as well as, a community-judged challenge. What fun!
This is a really cool submission. The balance of the ordinary (a bird) with the extraordinary (the amazing skyline) is aptly depicted.
ReplyDeleteAnd no I haven't read the book. Though I can tell you that India and the Philippines are very much the same in terms of class disparity, poverty, and an abundance of squatter communities. Thank you for reading!
Thank you for your excellent comment. It was a pleasure talking to you yesterday.
Deleteguardian of gotham . . . most excellent line!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barbara.
DeleteGood one with a sobering end.
ReplyDelete9-11 was a sobering event. From what I understand, there are many New Yorkers who have yet to get used to the "unobstructed" view of the river that they now have. Thanks for getting what I was going for.
DeleteThere are not enough unobstructed views. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteNor are there enough good people stopping by to comment, either. :) Thanks, Renee. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteA guardian, watchful over everything. The ending was a killer.
ReplyDeleteI know it is just a pigeon but, I used him/her to represent all of those New Yorkers who still feel guilty/angry/sad about 9-11; especially when they look out over the city and see "what's not there" any more. The view in the photo is gorgeous but, to many, it will make them sad. That convicted emotional take was what I was attempting to capture.
DeleteGlad you liked what I wrote.
Lovely and poignant. Glad you took this one seriously.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder about myself when I read so many "shitty" poems inspired by this photo. lol
DeleteMy first thought was that the pigeon was wondering where the Nature went and how the world below was no longer its' world. Secondly, I thought of 9-11 and how such a beautiful vista would be met with mixed emotions by those not so happy to see clearly to the Hudson. Maybe my next submission should be toilet humour from the get go? :)
Thanks for liking my work. I appreciate your kind words.
I always go with my first instinct which is usually the best. I think your piece proves that. I have a lovely pic of the WTC that I took days before 9-11. Now, every time I see that view, I think of it as a gaping hole. Like a front tooth is missing.
DeleteInteresting. I like the idea behind this!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joe. I am not an American but, I can appreciate how sadness can fill our minds when we lose our symbols. To look out upon this scene, as the pigeon does, and not be happy, requires examination. This is what I was going for. Glad you found it interesting.
DeleteI agree with you Tom about all the poop poems. I'm not a fan of pigeons, and even feel a bit queasy when I see all the tourists depicted in St Mark's Square feeding them. If we thought of them as doves and considered the lovely sound they make it would make a difference. Your piece is moving and thoughtful. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteThank you. You always have such wonderful comments. They make my day. :)
DeleteIt's strange and sad that in this case anything would be given to have that obstruction never taken away ): Lovely piece.
ReplyDeleteThank you, my friend. Even your comments are ridiculously lovely. :)
DeleteI like this POV, and the reference to the unobstructed views gave me a chill. 9/11 was a dark day for humanity.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comments. Sometimes, we don't realize what we truly value until it isn't there anymore. Life cab still be beautiful yet, sometimes, it doesn't quite seem as beautiful anymore, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI really like this.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deana.
DeleteWonder what kind of a villain this 'gotham guardian' would make? But the view is a nice one.
ReplyDeleteHe's not meant to be a villain but rather, he is meant to represent New Yorkers who look at their skyline and react emotionally (sadness/anger/regret) to the loss of the Twin Towers. As "Guardian of Gotham", the pigeon is watching the skies in order to prevent anything airborne from wreaking havoc on his city. The same way many New Yorkers look at the empty space that is Ground Zero and say, "Never again!"
DeleteThe Guardian of Gotham? Is that a Batman reference? I like the idea of the pigeon being the master of all he surveys, even if it doesn't look like it used to.
ReplyDeleteNo, "Guardian of Gotham" is a New York City reference. New York City has been referred to as Gotham City for a long time, way back to Washington Irving days. Batman based their Gotham City on NYC but, that did not factor into any part of my poem.
ReplyDeleteThe pigeon is, however, on guard over all he surveys, as you correctly pointed out. In the 9-11 context, he is guarding the skies over Manhattan to prevent anything like that from ever happening again. He does like his view because, like many New Yorkers, he misses the Twin Towers as a part of the skyline and has conflicting emotions about that loss.
"His million dollar view of the Hudson
ReplyDeletesuffered from obstruction
not so very long ago."
Wow - powerful! This was really inspiring... Many blessings!
Cheryl
Thanks for such a lovely comment. I appreciate your well-wishes and your kind words. Right back attcha! :)
DeleteI like the sense of centuries of time in this. Great title.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. I appreciate the compliment.
DeleteIncredible reference to 9-1-1, Tom. It haunted me when it caught me (off-guard) from that point of view. Very compelling. One of my earliest blogs was dedicated to 9-1-1 (though it was on the loss of a beloved one, in any circumstance). If you ever get the chance, I'd love to hear your feedback on it. It's entitled, Recesses: http://humantriumphant.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/recesses/
ReplyDeleteI am honoured very deeply that you have invited me to view such personal work. Of course I will offer my feedback. I will do so on the blog with "Recesses" on it. I have already read it. Before retiring for the night tonight, I will put my thoughts down for you. Thank you for making such a wonderful gesture. My weekend is now complete! :)
DeleteI've never been to NYC, and am not familiar with the city's geography; now that you've pointed out the former location of the Twin Towers, I no longer envy the bird his view, it would be much nicer if it was still obstructed.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that the families of those who lost their lives that fateful day would, undoubtedly, wholeheartedly agree with you. Thank you for such a terrific comment.
DeleteAh! Perspective of a pigeon. Nicely done. Sad when we think of it but he's just a pigeon. :-)Love the title and the beginning line too..
ReplyDeletePigeon as symbol of 9-11 angst. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteMust be so traumatic to recall that fateful day!We in India have our 26/11-so many innocent lives lost..What a powerful message your post conveys!The lines ,"Each coo, a declaration From a heart madly asunder",touched me deeply.
ReplyDeleteThank you ever so much. I am very grateful for your comment.
DeleteVery powerful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer. I appreciate your comment.
DeleteI wonder if they do notice. When we first moved to Abu Dhabi, we read a ton of reports about how the bird population in the entire middle east suffered for the mirrored, high-rise buildings in Abu Dhabi. The birds would fly right into them and fall down dead. It was enough of a problem to be a major news story. I wonder if, in some perverse world, the birds are happy the buildings are gone??? I've never thought about it before.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with this thought-provoking piece.
Thank you for your comment and for answering a question I had. During the week, on Twitter, you asked how we were doing and I replied to you. You, subsequently replied that the sun was rising where you were. It was almost 10 pm where I was in Ontario, Canada. I couldn't picture a location in the continental US where the sun would be rising at 10:00 my time. Abu Dhabi, eh? :) Good morning to you, then.
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