House of Zen

February 02, 2010

Visiting New York City a while back I spent quite a few hours just walking around ground zero a few times. A few times meaning that only once was not enough to see the hole place from every vantage point at ground level. The second time was the time to write down a few notes and to look for other places at possibly another level to view the gaping hole of new construction.

One building across the street seemed like to good place to do this so I wandered over there and found the huge atrium inside. While standing at the top of the stairs of the atrium it was lunch time. I saw one empty bench that faced the bottom of the stairs so I ran down the numerous steps to grab the seat hoping that no one would beat mme to it. It wasn’t a subway seat but one never knows.

This was after all New York City which if anyone who lives there or has been there for any amount of time will know that at lunchtime it’s always the land of multitudes in a one hour hurry; so unless there was a pregnant woman, a person with crutches, two dogs in heat blocking the bench or someone who looked like they needed it more than I, the seat was going to be mmine.

It was at a lower level of course and not within eyesight of ground zero. It was a good place to sit and look to the top of the stairs where the wall of windows did overlook the gaping hole. Not only that but the stairs as well as the many benches sitting spot was a continual flow of humanities diversified cultures who were both stationary and on their way to someplace else either to do something else or watch others doing the same thing. A stationary watcher was the goal.

As I sat down on the hard bench, a little out of breath and while recovering from the fast decent down the mountain of stairs a few kids sat next to mme just to let mme know that it wasn’t a tie. One of them expressed that I had come in first and she was second, her pal said he was third and their pal said she was fourth.

Lucky for mme and seconds later, they all got up and left after one of them said that they did that just because they noticed I raced to sit down to enjoy the last bench available. One of them said I was lucky that I had a head start and next time they’d beat mme. I told them that I’ll be back next summer for the rematch.

Seconds later an adult came by and said with a smile that her kids wouldn’t be back because they’re from Minnesota just visiting and on their last day of a two week vacation. Then she asked mme how can I stand being around so many people? MMy answer was that I didn’t live in New York City any more either.

By this time her kids were well ahead of her on their way to another race with a stranger so she hurriedly said good bye and continued on her catch up exercise. I on the other hand sat to watch what seemed like the never ending movement of humanity’s lunch hour. Gazing to the top of the stairs it was the only part that had few people walking back and forth. Many stopped to look out the window towards the gaping hole of ground zero. All of them pointed at one time or other.

I just sat there being mesmerized by that pinnacle view. It kept changing but not very fast. Sometimes there were two people together holding hands while looking through the window wall; other times there was just one person alone. Sometimes there were small groups of three, four or more; a few were obvious families. Others were more like larger groups of adult tourists eating on the fly.

Several times I noticed a one; a lone person. One in particular ‘one’ I witnessed walked very slowly along the window glance to look out for a few minutes. She stepped sideways a few times. She stopped a few times while still looking out then about the third or fourth stop she began to cry. I could see her put her hands to her face, her head bent down and her shoulders were shaking in despair. It was sad. For about half an hour I sat while beginning words to the following.

It wasn’t long after 911 so I walked around a bit more. There was a little presentation or a display really that was on an upper floor of this building, I think it was; it showed the area before 911. It was a curved walled window display that one could view and walk along reading the information presented.

I was beginning to get hungry as the smells of the huge cafeteria wafted around the entire part of the building.. Thinking about eating, I continued the slow stroll through the still packed cafeteria and on through the double glassed doors to the outside summer’s air. It wasn’t too hot that day but it was kind of windy.

The weather was fresh the sun in full glow. I walked past a park like setting that had dozens of short trees with large numbers of people sprawled on the grass in pairs, sets and alone; all seemed to be enjoying the weather as well as a picnic.

I left the area and began walking south. New York City’s tall buildings form huge cement canyons that gusts of wind at times will almost knock you down. This was one of those days. But it was still gorgeous to see and feel the excitement of the afternoon atmosphere. It didn’t take long before searching and finding a nice restaurant where I’d finally sit down to enjoy a good, quiet meal.

Shortly after entering the mostly empty place a smiling waitress handed mme a menu and pointed to a table by the front window. I sat down to enjoy an Asian meal while still paying attention to what was going on outside and up the street.

No sooner had I sit down and before enjoying the appetiser I noticed a little confrontation between a person who was coming out from a double parked vehicle and a mman on horseback who happened to be wearing the blue uniform of authority. Needless to say the double parker wasn’t happy when he was handed a slip of paper probably with his name and license number on it.

What a town; caught red handed somewhat like in the old west but in this instance, the newer east. No matter what happens, a visit in good ‘ol NYC will tell you that many things happen there and yes, twenty four hours a day. The mman in blue slowly galloped north. Turning around mr. double parker sent a one finger gesture that I’mm sure still didn’t satisfy him. Don’t you just love it?

The meal was a hot one of the Thai variety and something I had looked forward to experiencing for a long time. Although at the end of the restaurant stay there was a little mishap due to either faulty eye sight on mmy part or a leaky pen. It was easily taken care of with a short calm discussion. Needless to say the fare was excellent; and of course it was because it was the:

H O U S E O F Z E N

Push in south threw canyons mall
Catch hurried, came raged winds
Dock in at cool Thailand treats
Hot ‘n sour to din’s

Curried Thai, the chicken’s plate
Palette’s ten, the quest
Waitress switch is taste of juice
Grin replaced upset

Drink in all the fragrance is
Flower buds savoured tames
Tongue in swirls hot melodies
Counter point’s chef’s flames

Floating spice is fringe delights
Main course worships tears
Sea the aye’s, wild city’s ‘scape
Windows glare appears

Horsemen blues pull up end off
Doubled in van’s parks
Rite dead, numb words in they’re rise
Troll vans lounge bite sharks

Check calls license plates hut two
Ticks, these stuck in gear
Orange crushed with in write full
Tickets plea’s knot hear

Meal has freshened three’s Zen fruits
Knows all sense of clear
Bill arrives, wallet knocked dead
Hey! What’s over? Fear

“Oh, ‘fore give mme, mmy missed take
Dot is hidden there.”
Open smiles of found content
Paid amount of mere.

Last thing once before aye, leave
Shall be back dear host
Labyrinths maze into the john
Lifting sole’s, too close

Chow, Zen’s best’s dull swim in grease
Mac’s crisp hole in throat
Burghers, cheese, fried yikes in spend
Cholesterol free gloats.