iii

we avoid looking directly at our neighbor in front of us or next to us .. we are bodies & thought moving thru space; space bathed by clear light & darkened light alternately .. and as we emerge from the tunnels; further along the green line red line & blue; we see the city dismembered .. half a city block, there, in one glimpse; three people, in another moment, conversing on an ornate balcony, over here, & in different instance; a sharp yellow blot of sun in day, a pale yellow blot of moon in night ..

ii

there is music in the tunnels, a combination of metallic wind, the shrill voice of a narrator overhead; the conversation of all of us, who are waiting .. public art, murals & ads require a short attention span as a multi-car train slides to a halt .. metro riders surge as a force unto the waiting train cars, whilst an equivalent force surges outward .. everyone settles inside & doors closes .. inside everyone settles, closing doors .. the train escalates from white light into the black ..

i

look for the ceiling but see a sky instead, with concrete clouds .. rectangular clouds in a geometric dome forming a half-cylindered tunnel in the underground ..

19

walking in the pearl district; amidst the renewal of lofts & warehouses & the creation of new slender urban parks & the new city regulations; time is everywhere. it is simultaneously morning & afternoon.

17

mount hood with its whiten cone, is an anchor for the city. it can be seen most days, seemingly, floating in the air. long-time residents point to it reliably in the east.

15

it is discernible, the transition from the massive public buildings on the south park blocks onto the massive ones on the university campus. there are more people here walking everywhere & in the air, the sound of sporting events or musical events.

13

someone whispers a word. it could be someone enthusiastic & waiting for a bus on martin luther king jr blvd, at a few blocks from the lloyd center. this word becomes a component of a fresh formless moment.

11

near a downtown church, a wedding party spills over the sidewalk onto SE 9^th avenue as they walk from the church to an expectant restaurant for a reception. the slender south park blocks are hushed on a sunday morning. a few people reading newspapers, drinking coffee on the park benches. several transients asking for change.

9

at providence park, it is possible to look straight into the ballpark stadium, from its 18^th avenue side, although it may be difficult to understand what is going on. However, the cheers of approval or groans of disbelief are recognizable. the frequent rains can be a source of exhilaration or despair depending upon the outcome of the games.

5

forest park stretches from the residential west hills neighborhood to the north, parallel to the river.  there are vertical roads & precarious housing but these are outnumbered by the tall trees. Continue reading →