I am sitting in Central Park amongst the lush green grass. It is warm out and the people have emerged from their city holes. A few clouds dot the pallid blue sky and people around talk and play. A woman wearing a bra and pants throws a small blue Frisbee to her partner, a short man. Children run amok like dogs released from kennels, and security guards patrol casually, talking about how Jones Beach is nasty. A girl dances while her friend watches. A man walks by selling cold water and beer. I am reminded of Taj Mahal’s snow in the desert and Camus’ Oran. How Eurocentric New York is! Bustling and breathing heavily a brisk air of weighty accomplishment and stature. A man talks in Russian on his cell phone. How many great aestheticians have written about New York. How may have lauded, absconded, abhorred, scoffed at, exalted, pitied, and glorified this powerful city. Auden, Ferlinghetti, Woody Allen, Hampsey, etc. The buildings tower like guardians of something sacred and terrible. Helicopters circle, ever-watching and protecting the children below who joyously and with determination carry on. The minds of New Yorkers seem to resemble metro tracks and subway systems. Mind trains moving in one direction, ever moving till reaching their destination and then getting onto the next train to move on. Meanwhile kids play ultimate Frisbee and football and girls take their shirts off and wear only bras. Everyone’s souls are so intertwined yet so singular. It is an awful yet enticing existence that is beheld here. Togetherness shines upon the alone and begets a pensive lushness of introspection and longing. Movements inward create a thirst for external expression.
And so the trees speckled with golden leaves encircle Sheep’s Meadow and stand stoically while people float in and out. The dull roar of the city resounds in the distance, calling back its children, who have forgotten themselves in the arms of Central Park.
*Tommy Matthews is a freelance and creative writer who enjoys travelling, playing music, backpacking, cooking, photography, and other creative activities. He has travelled around the United States and Europe and hopes to visit Southeast Asia and Latin America. He is working hard to expand his portfolio as a young writer. He can be reached at ExistentialWriter.com