12:57PM, 22° F. Inside the concourse leading to Suburban Station, this was underground, thus shielded from the wind, but without heat, it was as cold as outside, maybe even colder, since there was no sun.
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4 comments:
Cindy Shirar
said...
Hi Mr. Dinh,
Cindy back again.
The photos of people sleeping on the ground in sub-freezing temperatures makes me want to dive through this computer screen with thick comforters and hot soup. I ache for the homeless souls you capture on film in this hellish country. I wish we could somehow "rescue" them all.
I have a 15 year-old son attending school in York County (Dillsburg), Pennsylvania who was release early yesterday due to an impending snow storm. All I could think of was: I'm so grateful his Dad would be picking him up from the school's front door, in a toasty, dry car.
What would these folks, sleeping in train stations and doorways give for that? They could be my son, brother, sister, parent or me.
Same with all those dealing with Sandy's aftermath, or any families foreclosed on.
Just wanted to drop a line. I loved reading your recently posted poem with the having "...sex sideways..." line, and your latest YOU.S. Desk interview.
Thank you for all the thought/feeling-provoking you stimulate for me every day. The Don Quixote in me wishes I could be there to follow and learn from you like his partner, Sancho...
It's always good to hear from you. Like the rest of the country, Philly is falling apart, and it is also experiencing a nervous breakdown. "Senseless crimes" appear more regularly. A young doctor was strangled, then burnt by a pill popping exterminator; a man pulled a gun on a bus driver because he couldn't wait to get off at the next stop, he had to get off right then; a man dragged a woman onto the subway track, then skipped away; across the river, a father shot his 11-year-old daughter in the face. All these happened within the last ten days.
When you ship jobs overseas and use tax money for banks and bombs, communities fall apart, citizens sleep on the streets, beg and sometimes go berserk on each other.
I'll end, though, on a cheerful note. In the men's room of Liberty One, Philly's tallest skyscraper, once dubbed "half an erection" by famed architect Robert Ventura, I heard a man sing, "It's a Friday, Friday! It's a snow day on a Friday! I see snowflakes coming down, coming down!"
When you have to wait until late January to get wet snow that doesn't stick, you might just break into song when it finally happens.
Got a good chuckle out of the "Friday snow day" guy! I'm glad you run into a few merry crazy souls, and not just the scary ones!
Christ, was a mess in Philly. Absolute nightmare. I don't think Dallas can top these tragedies--at least not THIS week--but it's getting weirder and darker out there. Every day a new horror show. God.
Always some new, fresh hell and epic ghastliness we collectively endure...or cause. Constantly petrified and nauseated at it all.
If it weren't for the occasional "Friday snow guy," I'd have curled into a fetal ball and checked out a long time ago.
Recently finished reading Chris Hedges' "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt." I'm sure you're familiar with it...all about the "sacrifice zones," obliterated communities created by decades of abuse by corporate greed, pollution, bankster corruption, etc.
Sad that so many of these ruined communities send their young people into the armed forces for lack of any other viable employment options...to continue the bombing carnage and insanity overseas...and, quite frankly, probably eventually here in the states. Talk about "sacrifice."
And, not to close on a downer, but today, in Dallas, we're probably going to hit 80 degrees. In late January. Even for Dallas, that's bizarrely warm. If we get back to anywhere near typical seasonal temperatures in this area, I'll do a restroom song and dance in solidarity with "Mr. Friday Snow Day!"
Everything feels so "off" and "wrong," Linh. Your posts, though, don't fall into that category. You're a relief. I was so glad for your reply!
4 comments:
Hi Mr. Dinh,
Cindy back again.
The photos of people sleeping on the ground in sub-freezing temperatures makes me want to dive through this computer screen with thick comforters and hot soup. I ache for the homeless souls you capture on film in this hellish country. I wish we could somehow "rescue" them all.
I have a 15 year-old son attending school in York County (Dillsburg), Pennsylvania who was release early yesterday due to an impending snow storm. All I could think of was: I'm so grateful his Dad would be picking him up from the school's front door, in a toasty, dry car.
What would these folks, sleeping in train stations and doorways give for that? They could be my son, brother, sister, parent or me.
Same with all those dealing with Sandy's aftermath, or any families foreclosed on.
Just wanted to drop a line. I loved reading your recently posted poem with the having "...sex sideways..." line, and your latest YOU.S. Desk interview.
Thank you for all the thought/feeling-provoking you stimulate for me every day. The Don Quixote in me wishes I could be there to follow and learn from you like his partner, Sancho...
*HUG*
In Art and Labor,
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
It's always good to hear from you. Like the rest of the country, Philly is falling apart, and it is also experiencing a nervous breakdown. "Senseless crimes" appear more regularly. A young doctor was strangled, then burnt by a pill popping exterminator; a man pulled a gun on a bus driver because he couldn't wait to get off at the next stop, he had to get off right then; a man dragged a woman onto the subway track, then skipped away; across the river, a father shot his 11-year-old daughter in the face. All these happened within the last ten days.
When you ship jobs overseas and use tax money for banks and bombs, communities fall apart, citizens sleep on the streets, beg and sometimes go berserk on each other.
I'll end, though, on a cheerful note. In the men's room of Liberty One, Philly's tallest skyscraper, once dubbed "half an erection" by famed architect Robert Ventura, I heard a man sing, "It's a Friday, Friday! It's a snow day on a Friday! I see snowflakes coming down, coming down!"
When you have to wait until late January to get wet snow that doesn't stick, you might just break into song when it finally happens.
Linh
Hi Linh!
Got a good chuckle out of the "Friday snow day" guy! I'm glad you run into a few merry crazy souls, and not just the scary ones!
Christ, was a mess in Philly. Absolute nightmare. I don't think Dallas can top these tragedies--at least not THIS week--but it's getting weirder and darker out there. Every day a new horror show. God.
Always some new, fresh hell and epic ghastliness we collectively endure...or cause. Constantly petrified and nauseated at it all.
If it weren't for the occasional "Friday snow guy," I'd have curled into a fetal ball and checked out a long time ago.
Recently finished reading Chris Hedges' "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt." I'm sure you're familiar with it...all about the "sacrifice zones," obliterated communities created by decades of abuse by corporate greed, pollution, bankster corruption, etc.
Sad that so many of these ruined communities send their young people into the armed forces for lack of any other viable employment options...to continue the bombing carnage and insanity overseas...and, quite frankly, probably eventually here in the states. Talk about "sacrifice."
And, not to close on a downer, but today, in Dallas, we're probably going to hit 80 degrees. In late January. Even for Dallas, that's bizarrely warm. If we get back to anywhere near typical seasonal temperatures in this area, I'll do a restroom song and dance in solidarity with "Mr. Friday Snow Day!"
Everything feels so "off" and "wrong," Linh. Your posts, though, don't fall into that category. You're a relief. I was so glad for your reply!
Thinking about you
(In Art and Labor),
Cindy
Oh, and had to look up the Liberty One skyscraper for a photo. LOL! I can see why it could be looked at as a "Hollywood loaf!"
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