cathedral//the streets of chicago

imagine from behind a stage curtain

my fingertips at chin,

mostly vertical holding the seamed edge of a heavy red satin curtain

gold stitching is visible but sporadic

hey-

hi. from the moment i fell in love with chicago: before we get started, i just wanted to let you know the images below are in chronological order of discovery and the discovery/initial photo themselves. meaning, i have seen at least one other of all that's pictured below, some hundreds. there's a whole other lot of one off's, larger murals, and just tags. the usage of postal stickers is something i hadn't seen in any other city visited in the us this past summer. just chicago.

i'm so excited to share this with you.

this beginning of a project.

this beginning of a start.

this seed bank of the streets of chicago

please allow me to introduce my friends

please enjoy.

dear reader,

imagine being at the exact restaurant

with the exact five people

imagine when the waiter comes over

so as not to interrupt the

flow of conversation and laughter

you say that

you'll have three of the most popular entrees

and two appetizers

you say that you'll share

something you've always done

something you'll always do

imagine me across the table

and in a bill hicks-esque kind of

moving the microphone outward to arm's length

bellow

CAN I HAVE A COKE PLEASE?

or that's that it feels like

someost of the time,

anyways.

chicago's union station has been one of the only constants in my life since getting divorced and leaving new york.

i love union station around 9, 9:30pm

this cathedral full of

weary travelers and sleeping unhoused bodies

and last night i was sitting

on a church pew

eyes turned upward

to the curved ceiling

of our cathedral

surrounded by sleeping unhoused bodies

and a man approached

with warm eye contact made

he said hello

and i did the same

he sat down three feet from me

on a church pew

he began removing items from his bag

and quietly,

in consideration of our company,

he asked me if i was traveling

no, i just like it here- you?

and he stuck out his chin

with a nod

his eyes moved slowly upwards

where mine returned

to the lives passed

to the curved ceiling

we sat for a long time

together

watching

our cathedral

surrounded by sleeping unhoused bodies

later that night

walking home to humboldt park

i saw a man frozen in time

right outside richard's bar on grand almost to milwaukee

it's got that cool light outside

and this frozen man is radiating

the scene:

too wide of a stance and a hunched forward posture

right elbow is highest the hand is holding one handle of a weighted, white tshirt bag

the left arm is lower and in his left hand is one handle of a empty grey t shirt bag

it is whipping around in the wind

a red ember

hangs from his mouth

the scene is frozen

except for one whipping bag

and time is standing

i smile at him as i approach

hey- can yo'lp me wi'dis?

course. whater we doin?

i wanna g'disbag in the odehone

suresuresure

i take the empty handle of the weighted higher bag with my right hand

and guide it slowly over to meet the other handle where his hand sits

i take the handle of the empty bag with left hand

and we slowly begin to lower the heavy white bag

down into the empty grey one

slowly

together

and as time begins to

slowly

chip again

i take a large inhale slowly

followed by an even larger

deeper

exhale

slowly

this whole situation is covered in goo

accumulated

blown around

during the entire time

this man

who has been frozen in time

attempting this task

standing

hunched

breathing

dripping

from both nose and

open mouth

all over the whole situation

and i decide to remain

with this man

in this moment of ours

in this humanity of ours

as we slowly move a white bag

into a grey one

together

he thanks and blesses me

'same to you sir'

and we move on.

i with 2.3 radiating (s)miles

ahead of washing my hands

eyes turned upwards

to the curved ceiling

of our cathedral

moving within the steady pulse

of the streets of chicago

as a seemingly unnoticed thing,

as a tree,