Alex Blumberg
Here we are. Alexandria and I, in a place that is no longer. And yes, it does resonate sadness within my heart. And then I ask myself, how do we let people, places, and possessions go so easily? It seems like when this happens, it is nothing short of just another simple ending to something that was. And then tomorrow, we move on. And don’t get me wrong, I too, think forward. We must.
But then you experience this odd paradox when you visit a special place like this one. You can’t help but feel drawn to the nostalgia. It’s like the place I’m brought to when I pop on a vinyl like, “Sherry” by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. I automatically feel there— and that “there” spawns the smell of cigarette smoke in my nostrils and makes me feel like I’m in a dark & foggy bar, filled with well dressed Italians, that only serves whiskey and wine. When I was here, on Perry Street, I didn’t feel alone. I felt the vibrations of the people that once resided here. And that brings me to what I guess I am trying to convey.
Remember learning in physics that energy could never be created nor destroyed. Well yeah, that’s true— it’s called the Law of Thermodynamics. Energy is forever free-flowing. Whether that be something concrete or abstract, it will always be. And like the bones of The Perry Projects still stand, so does everyone & everything else that once lived here, too.
Therefore, what is now “gone” truly will always remain. And we especially witness this throughout our world’s history— we hold on to pain. We don’t forget who hurt us. We hold on tight to what makes us happy. We remember what oppressed us. We take good care of what we create. And we connect with everything that helps us feel closer to who we are.
We. The People of the world. We do that.
And all of that reciprocates into an even further flow of pain, happiness, sadness, strength, power, madness, racism, hate, growth, love and whatever the hell else WE feel.
And we are kind of blindly magnificent for this power we possess. The energy we hold, I mean. We take it for granted. We forget that we have the power to manipulate it. Bend it. Change it. Or ignore it. Because remember, it cannot be destroyed. WE cannot be destroyed. We can only do what is right.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong in doing the right thing. Mark Twain said that.