Birds of Friday

This morning I woke up to a sky that was lighter and more 'heavenly' than we've seen in the past few weeks.
As she does every morning, Elektra went to the window to watch the birds.
I was repulsed by the thick clouds of oily exhaust the spewed forth and drifted over the rooftops, but as with so many problems beyond my control, I've mostly resigned myself to living with this unfortunate (and illegal) condition; there are only so many times you can call the authorities before you learn that there's nothing they intend to do about it. I often hear people talk about life in the ghetto with a certain disdain, as if to say: 'why don't the people who live there do something to improve their situation?' Living in Washington Heights -- which to be fair is several steps removed from many other urban slums I have seen, but which nevertheless shares some characteristics with them in terms of poverty and neglect -- has taught me how the prospect of improvement can often be nothing more than a cruel charade and that -- if one is to maintain some semblance of sanity -- it's necessary to 'give up' on the fight for conditions such as clean air or water, or nighttime silence that others might tend to take for granted, having never experienced life without.
So we scrape by as best as we can under the circumstances, and with any luck achieve a certain nobility of character that prevents us from becoming blinded by bitterness and despair, even as we yearn for escape.
I photograph the same buildings almost every day because it serves to remind me about what is beautiful about where I live.
And also what is humorous.
After work, I photographed the subway tracks at 34th Street, where an open book could be seen among piles of soggy newsprint and other debris.
Back in Washington Heights, I went to the basement to pick up a package from the super. As I waited for him, I took a picture of the birds he keeps under a large florescent light, and wondered if they knew enough to be unhappy for having never seen the sun.

Comments

[Autumn]

Thank you for celebrating the beauty of WaHi.
It's hard to find online appreciation of a such a diverse, unique and chaotic neighborhood.
Anytime I'm down on the hood, I come here for affirmation.

[Matthew Gallaway]

Thanks for reading, Autumn!

[Caitlin]

Those birds are breaking my heart.