Issue #20 (2011) PDF - myweb - Long Island University

AVENUE VISION 2
On the roof across the street, beyond the prayer flags, in the glare of a bright light, a man in a suit
passionately takes hold of a woman in a long flowing dress while another man crouches and points a
camera at them from just beyond the light. Obviously having trouble getting the scene right, the
actors repeat their embrace over and over again, pausing between takes to laugh, converse, smoke,
stretch, and vainly attempt to keep the wind from destroying their manicured hairdos. The prayer
flags are flapping toward Manhattan, and the people walking on the avenue below have no idea of
the spectacle unfolding up above. Down there it‘s business as usual. Avoid eye contact. Keep to
yourself. An old man walks his dog. A young woman pushes a stroller. Cars line up in the street,
waiting for the light to change. Suddenly some guy shouts, ―Jesus Christ wrote the bible you fucking
asshole!‖ The light from the film set, gently reflecting off of the numerous rows of windows across
the street, moves as the couple continues embracing. Above all of this, tiny clouds the size of
rowboats hum westward, nearly glowing, as a jet in the distance lifts itself closer to the edge of
visibility, a light slowly fading, steadily dimming, inching, away. Fragmented constellations surface as
the night‘s darkness deepens into an opaque expanse while the couple, tiny ant-like dancers, finally
embraces in just the right way, before the bright lights are cut, and the trio film crew exits the roof,
leaving the wind and prayer flags quietly to themselves.
66