mason proper

today we walked around new york for 14 hrs
and tried to find high perches from which to watch people

we watched a couple with identical green shirts and blue jeans
whom we dubbed “the greenjeans”
make their way around the metropolitan museum of art
holding hands
and we thought of them as a single organism
that was inept at making decisions about which direction to travel

we also watched a man in an expensive suit
whom we named “blake”
ice skate around the rockefeller center plaza
far too fast.
he:

1. performed elaborate moves
2. stopped just short of colliding with many children many times
3. upon spotting someone who had fallen, would skate up next to them and gingerly touch them as they rose, as if to help them up (but they were always already getting up by that point and would just awkwardly touch his hand)
4. would leave the ice every five minutes or so and walk purposefully into the building, at which time an announcer’s voice would declare, “blake has left the ice, folks; but don’t worry, he’ll be back soon. enjoy the ice in the meantime.”

we also walked behind a gaggle of suits
freshly out of work at the high-rise
and analyzed their mannerisms–
learned their walks–
how to stroll in such a way as if to say:
“i am Confident and can ‘Make It Happen,’
but i’m still a Good Guy”
but then a dog startled one up in the front
and he took flight, arms flapping wildly,
and the rest followed
in perfect “V” formation
to a safer perch up on top of the time warner building.

finally,
we found this short video from the gramercy theater: