I’m working from my usual spot with a view of the street below. But today, there’s a woman standing directly in my line of vision, on the opposite side of the street. She’s just hanging out. Watching cars and greeting the occasional person. One conversation overheard: Woman: (cheerful and friendly) “Hey, how you doing today?” Man Passing: (in a low baritone voice) “Good, you?” Woman: “I woke up today, so that’s good.” Man Passing: (chuckles) “I hear you.” It made my ears pric

On our way to picnic in the park, my friend Natalia and I passed a girl with the most beautiful blue curly hair. Her locks were dark and subtle—the color of a sailor’s suit. I’ve always wanted to dye my hair blue, so she caught my eye immediately. Initially, I was drawn to her hair, but I couldn’t help but linger at what she had next to her. Very causally, the girl had pulled off her prosthetic leg and stuffed a handful of loose-leaf papers in the thigh. It’s not something I

Today, I was walking down 7th Ave past the hospital. It’s not uncommon to see elderly people shuffling down this block with canes or walkers. It feels me with compassion; I imagine it must be frustrating to lose the mobility that once came so effortlessly. Lost in thought, my eyes shifted to the pavement and caught sight of a senior man's legs. There was a black brace around each ankle. When I looked up, he was strapping on a bicycle helmet. In my neighborhood, the majority o

It was Friday morning after a long workweek. I was exhausted and slightly cranky, but had one more workday to power through before I could break for the weekend. Per usual, the din of the city streets set the ambient noise to my workflow. My makeshift desk—a two-top bar table with stools—was situated near the windows with a view of the nearby traffic circle. I could see what was going on from a distance, but not the sidewalk directly below our apartment. Occasionally, somethi

My friend Lexi and I had just entered Prospect Park when she interjected mid sentence, “Wild Horse!” Sure enough, a horse was galloping sans rider towards the pedestrian path. Wild indeed—in nature, but not nurture. There was a saddle on it’s back. Not long after, we saw the rider frantically running after her steed. Her two legs, however, were no match for its four.