ashes to ash wednesday
so yesterday, after my reading group, i had to do some shopping for my dad's birthday. i had to get a card and some baking supplies because suzanne came up with the brilliant idea of sending cookies. so after i gather the supplies and the card, I decide to go have a cigarette in union square. i called suzanne to briefly discuss the reading group and let her know i was on my way home, and as i'm sitting on a park bench, this happens:
a giant hawk swoops down from a tree branch and is flying right at me. at first i'm in shock because i think i'm looking at the biggest pigeon that has ever lived. i realize it is a hawk as it nears me and flies right over my right shoulder, and as i'm too loudly exclaiming "oh my god, holy shit!" i whip around so i can watch the rest of the birds flight. when i catch sight of it again it has already grabbed a pigeon in its talons and is carrying it to a nearby tree. i tell suzanne what's going on and then hang up so i can try to take some pictures with my cell phone. by now a large crowd has gathered and is watching as the hawk begins to peck at and slowly de-feather and dismember the aforementioned pigeon as it twitched its way to a slow and assuredly painful death. it was quite the sight to see, and all of the young children who were for some unknown reason gathered at union square yesterday got a real lesson about life and death.
for me though, the experience was edifying. i have long considered the hawk to be some sort of spiritually charged animal for me, and seeing one fly literally yards from my head, in new york city no less, made me feel reassured in my academic pursuits. in my classes lately i've been feeling like i have a lot to say, so i speak up, but then immediately begin to doubt whether my contributions are positive ones. clearly the academic environment in which i am perched is not nearly as cutthroat as what i witnessed in the park, but it made me realize that its better to be confident in my thoughts and to share them than it is to be silent.
and all of this on ash wednesday, the beginning of lent, a day that is celebrated through abstaining from meat, a day that through the ash symbolism celebrates the endless cycle of life and death.
Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.
– God, Genesis 3:19
thank god for this city, thank god that sometimes when you absolutely need it most, something comes along to show you exactly what you need to see.
a giant hawk swoops down from a tree branch and is flying right at me. at first i'm in shock because i think i'm looking at the biggest pigeon that has ever lived. i realize it is a hawk as it nears me and flies right over my right shoulder, and as i'm too loudly exclaiming "oh my god, holy shit!" i whip around so i can watch the rest of the birds flight. when i catch sight of it again it has already grabbed a pigeon in its talons and is carrying it to a nearby tree. i tell suzanne what's going on and then hang up so i can try to take some pictures with my cell phone. by now a large crowd has gathered and is watching as the hawk begins to peck at and slowly de-feather and dismember the aforementioned pigeon as it twitched its way to a slow and assuredly painful death. it was quite the sight to see, and all of the young children who were for some unknown reason gathered at union square yesterday got a real lesson about life and death.
for me though, the experience was edifying. i have long considered the hawk to be some sort of spiritually charged animal for me, and seeing one fly literally yards from my head, in new york city no less, made me feel reassured in my academic pursuits. in my classes lately i've been feeling like i have a lot to say, so i speak up, but then immediately begin to doubt whether my contributions are positive ones. clearly the academic environment in which i am perched is not nearly as cutthroat as what i witnessed in the park, but it made me realize that its better to be confident in my thoughts and to share them than it is to be silent.
and all of this on ash wednesday, the beginning of lent, a day that is celebrated through abstaining from meat, a day that through the ash symbolism celebrates the endless cycle of life and death.
Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.
– God, Genesis 3:19
thank god for this city, thank god that sometimes when you absolutely need it most, something comes along to show you exactly what you need to see.
posted by R. Peeps at 7:22 PM
3 Comments:
dear Rob: loved hearing about the hawk, and remember to always speak up in class.
That is all, for now.
x.
thats amazing.
& i have always found what you have to say to be beneficial. :)
p.s.
tell suz to answer her goddamn emails lol
:)
cheerio'!
I find this entire account highly dubious. A hawk? In New York City? Pfffftt. If you want to see birds of prey you should come to Alaska. Bald eagles galore! And instead of pigeons we have ravens. Only ravens wouldn't get eaten by a bald eagle. They're so tough. And goth.
Post a Comment
<< Home