yurikoviolet

Of course, the city never slept, but it really lurched itself into motion in the mornings. It was eleven-thirty and Jonah marveled at the fact that there were people that had been awake for hours. He passed these people on the sidewalk and they passed him in their cars. Their eyes were bright and Jonah looked into them and watched their busy twitch as they pulled their possessors through their days. Their mouths were set into lines or expelling language and Jonah looked at them and wished he had something to offer to the world as they did.
A man shook his unopened umbrella and Jonah felt water drops hit his face. He wiped them off with his sleeve and walked the streets of his city and watched the people move from place to place. He saw that there were people who were more like himself. They were still blinking the morning wet from their own eyes and moving a little slower than the others. There was a large woman walking in front of him wearing an ill-fitting plastic raincoat. She had a large floral purse clutched under her arm and Jonah could hear the material sighing as she moved. He thought about touching her back to see if she was real, but he decided that the gesture might be misinterpreted. He wanted something to do with his hands so he reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. They were not there and he remembered that he had smoked them all. So he had his first errand of the day and he could pretend he had a functional reason for being out in the world. He began to look for a place to buy cigarettes. It was essential to have something to do.
Jonah was walking through the central district of his city, which was shaped like a wheel. His own apartment building was located in the central district as well, though somewhat to the south of the center. Around this hub were eight other districts, spoking off in their directions in rough pie pieces. Around this wheel is where the city began to lose sense and order. Streets and buildings streaked off randomly in every endless direction and were always shifting. Lenora lived there and often complained about having to adjust her address after the shifts. Jonah didnt go to that part of the city. It was a long walk and it was too easy to get lost if one wasnt used to the way the streets moved. Lenora wore a watch that kept track of the shift updates so she wouldnt get lost herself. Sometimes when Jonah sat on top of his building he could feel the outer city undulating around the central districts like hair in wind. It was a disquieting feeling. Jonahs hands flew up to his own hair. He had suddenly realized that he wasnt wearing his hat. He felt his cheeks grow red and he pulled his hood on. No one had noticed.

Tomorrow I am going back to good ol San Francisco for dinner and a visit to the MOMA for my birthday. My real birthday is on the first, but tomorrow are most of the festivities.
I feel glad and lucky today.
love
y.v.