Sunday, August 16, 2009

Searching for…

Pin It In music lies power.

Emotion.

Realism.

I sit here in Washington Square Park in the late afternoon with my iPod. I love this park. It’s the location where one of my all-time favorite movies was filmed: Searching for Bobby Fischer.

When I first entered the grounds, I was changing up my playlist to listen to something a little bit different—I wanted something a little less…sonorous; after all, I was leaving the bustling streets and thoroughfares. This is when the thought occurred to me: why shouldn’t I listen to the soundtrack for one of my most treasured movies? One which had had some major scenes filmed right here?

As I called up the soundtrack by James Horner, I approached the men playing chess at the permanently-set tables. The familiar notes began to play, and as I watched the well-known landscape and scenes before me, I found myself completely blown away.


This park is suddenly no longer just a place to me; it now carries a whole other dimension to it; like sunlight so someone who’s been trapped inside all day, like a drowning man’s first gasp of cool, fresh oxygen into hungered lungs.

It is as if I am more here than I really am. This is one of the most powerful moments I have experienced while out here on this trip. Even now as I write this, the pigeons move about my feet, the sunlight patterns the ground and chess boards, and the players watch over their matches intently as their hands fly to their clocks and pieces. During this entire process the projector plays the film—not only in my head, but all around me



It.is.magical.

I am the movie.

This is life.

I find that as I write all of these things down that this moment is elusive, it refuses to be penned down with words—I try to find the right phrases and expressions which will describe what this is and how it feels, but they are slow in coming.

I could live this moment forever.





9 comments:

Emily said...

Time must have been standing still...you photographed a new york pigeon in perfect clarity! :)

That second photo of the man is amazing. I want it....wow. Totally breathtaking.

I made a comment on FB about Bobby Fischer not even knowing..hmm. Makes me want to go watch that movie!

Linn said...

Wow, those are some beyond amazing photos and the writing, as always, is incredible. I'm so glad your trip to NY is benefiting all of us.

K.J. said...

Wow...What a trip for you to remember. That was some awesome writing and photo's!

Gerb said...

I'm not sure that I need to go to New York now... I can just read your posts and look at your pictures and be transported for a while. As always, awesome.

Corine Moore said...

Hi Jas! :D ...been playing catch-up reading a few blogs... Sometimes I don't want to read them because reading them makes me miss you! :(

But, I "gotta" say, reading some of them really makes me laugh! You remind me of myself so much that it amazes me (only in good ways, no insults intended!:).

PS. I've haven't seen the movie Searching for Bobby Fisher, yet.

Take care bro! :D
Corine

ldb said...

...it refuses to be penned down with words... the semantics are as breathtaking as the photos.

annette said...

To have known and loved a movie, and then to have found yourself actually immersed in it must have been surreal.

"I could live this moment forever" You said it all, right there.

Teachinfourth said...

E - There were so many of them, I got several shots; could have posted a few others, but this was my favorite.

As for the man at the table, yeah...I loved it, too.

L - Thanks for reading it over. I really need to post the rest of the stuff...but now that school's started, I might not get around to it for awhile.

KJ - It was an amazing trip; I am so glad that I ended up going.

G - LOL. No, you should probably go someday...there's something about seeing it all in real life that just blows you away.

C - You HAVE to see it, you'd love it. Trust me.

L - Thanks, Laura. We sure miss you at the school this year...

A - Indeed it was.

Yancy said...

i love that second picture.
and it's so fun watching that video clip when you're familiar with the park. Such a good movie.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...