The accordion creaks a weary croon
As my feet swivel with the spinning circle stage of the accordion’s center
The journey takes about 26 minutes
The perfect amount of time to finish a couple chapters of Twain
I’ve been making this trip every Saturday recently
In fact I’ve been making trips like this for so long that I’ve forgotten how they began
Brows furrowed I turn to face the huge glass windows
Outside I watch us zoom past an old runner struggling up one of Broadway’s steep hills
Watching him sweat and grimace makes me think back to the nostalgia of the east
II.
Silver waves of humidity & pollution pummel my lungs
It’s hard enough to tackle the grade up Hong Kong island’s densely forested summit
The smog induced nausea is the nail in my coffin
Drenched in sweat and out of shape, I throw in the towel & start making my way back home
Home is in the mid levels, so after emerging from the highest sections of where the gnarled green meets urban gray, I take the outdoor escalators the rest of the way
Riding the roofed escalators is a moment to relax
It’s a moment to step to the right and allow the listless stream to ferry me along
I close my eyes and focus on the wild cacophony of the streets below
Bits of cantonese, bits of english, bits of mandarin
Old aunties squabbling and salarymen yelling into their phones — coattails thrashing violently in the silver breeze
Vermillion taxis weave by scooters and trams while school children giggle and look for an opening to cross
I open my eyes and follow the students
The school splits
Two disappear into a yuenyeung shop
Where coffee is mixed with black tea
Three go into a tea canteen
Where elbow macaroni swims in tepid tomato soup and british fusion is dished out to genial locals
The rest duck under the palate of a metro entrance
Following the cantonese and english signs into its brightly lit depths
I feel the raw energy of wonder bloom from the soles of my feet, shoot up to my core and stretch out to my extremities
There’s so many new things to see in this bizarre, alien world
So much adventure to be had
So I exit the escalator early to explore this new side street
III.
I step out the bus at 15th & 42nd
& make my way towards Cafe Solstice, my mainstay
After the musings on the M49 it’s clear why I come here Saturdays
Up ahead there’s a pair of neon blue tangzhuang trousers on a hippie waving in the breeze
Across the street I see a group of young minds with luminous eyes, still experimental and curious
In Solstice I see stories, vibrant and unique — each a full course in humanity
Out the window I see the spirit of the east, ducking swiftly behind a side street with the wind
I think I’ll go chase it
For Further Reading…
- On Corporeal cravings, check out my visual poem Animal in a Modern World
- On Instagram, check out my vignette Beautiful girls of Instagram
- On Blooming, check out my visual poem Flowering in Seaport Drizzle
