Horses in the Streets
One of the things I love
about our neighborhood
is the horses.
Just the other day
after washing out our paint brushes
we watched three kids
riding bareback
meander down the block
and as I left school earlier in the week
two horses were trotting past the door.
This is THE CITY.
And to see some horses
poke their heads between
the lines of rowhouses
past boarded up buildings
with some barefooted kids
continues to astound me.
The horses, more than likely,
belong to the Arabbers.
They have a stable a few blocks away
and during the day
the horses pull along
a red and yellow cart
of fruits and vegetables.
Back in the day,
they brought fresh produce to
urban neighborhoods
from farms along the Eastern shore.
Today, they got to the same warehouses
as the grocery stores
only without much refrigeration
the produce is worse, not better.
This makes for a charming spectacle
and watermelons and lettuce
unfit to eat.
But what I love
is that it's like another world
or a different country
where the contrast of city streets
and skinny horses clopping
past the roller rink
holding up traffic
is like a moment from
another time
reaching back from the past
and falling into this
millenium
Where is this city?
about our neighborhood
is the horses.
Just the other day
after washing out our paint brushes
we watched three kids
riding bareback
meander down the block
and as I left school earlier in the week
two horses were trotting past the door.
This is THE CITY.
And to see some horses
poke their heads between
the lines of rowhouses
past boarded up buildings
with some barefooted kids
continues to astound me.
The horses, more than likely,
belong to the Arabbers.
They have a stable a few blocks away
and during the day
the horses pull along
a red and yellow cart
of fruits and vegetables.
Back in the day,
they brought fresh produce to
urban neighborhoods
from farms along the Eastern shore.
Today, they got to the same warehouses
as the grocery stores
only without much refrigeration
the produce is worse, not better.
This makes for a charming spectacle
and watermelons and lettuce
unfit to eat.
But what I love
is that it's like another world
or a different country
where the contrast of city streets
and skinny horses clopping
past the roller rink
holding up traffic
is like a moment from
another time
reaching back from the past
and falling into this
millenium
Where is this city?
posted by Emily at 6:37 PM
3 Comments:
i was in ms. d's office the other day and SAW them clomping down the street past the school!
i am so glad you cleared that up for me...i have only seen the arrabers...but not the horses by themselves.
hee...
it was a very strange sight.
lovely images. the horses that roam my neighborhood in the summer carry the boardwalk police, perched high for a grand view. while I must clean up after my dog on every walk, the police get a pass on the mess the horses leave behind. this always prompts humorous dialogue for the locals...
i love the images in this piece... the skinny horses' heads poking between the row houses... the fruits and vegetables... the distant era. nice!
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