THE MANHATTAN SKYLINE

The view in the distance while embracing the rail of a retreating ferry
The sight of a fading skyline
Not yet dusk but the smell begins to linger of the daily sunset upon an amazing collection of closely placed buildings
The ferry leaves the port upon which it docks and your nearest look lays upon the appearing bridge
Slowly it enters the eyes deepest realm
The Brooklyn Bridge
Floating further from the building we used to climb upon this boat passengers receive a glorious look
At the Brooklyn borough covered by full, white clouds
I move to the right side of the traveling ferry
I can now see the peace offering given to us by France
Standing alone in the peaceful river she looks so beautiful
There are numerous bridges seen while on this journey
Bridges with names never before heard, never remembered thereafter
Back of the boat, look at the skyline
It looks so quiet there, there in lower Manhattan
Front of the boat and I sit down
Shortly the ferry arrives at its destination, Staten Island
Don’t get off, the ride was not to see land but to feel the beauty of the statue in our sight
Now we head back to port
And upon the voyage back I move to the rear of the ferry
Now pushing the waters that once left a tread only a short time before
I took some vibrant photos of the Bridge, The Borough, The Lady
How beautiful she was in the radiant sky of a sun leaving
To have created such glorious colors that would amplify her stand alone in the calm Hudson River
Reds, Yellows, Pinks, Grays, Whites
Even darkness fell upon her
Darkness
Would that have been the last time I would see this view in its entirety
Among my numerous elongated pictures were multiple shots of a skyline unlike no other
Buildings, which usually are not beautiful or even thought about
Now become predominant in what my eyes have seen
With the sunset’s arriving colors, with still prevalent clouds
I snap so many hoping that one would give me the perfection I longed to capture
You may not see it but I know that they stand aside the skyline
To the left, The Lady. Right, My Bridge
Such a monumental shot that darkness takes this day
And would take several weeks later
Forever
Going back towards Battery Park
How large Manhattan is but now seems so small
All I see is the bottom of a sleepless city
That seems so quiet and untouched with the largest skyline I have seen
While looking back at my journey’s photographs I see the view so differently
For on that ferry the buildings seemed so permanent
And part of my heart craved a skyline like this to be my history, part of my daily actions
To have been able to pass it giving it no other thought
Maybe though my eyes were supposed to see it the way that they did
That a skyline could forever glimmer in my eyes, so full and complete
Yet my eyes saw only a portion for it extended much larger
If you have seen it before yesterday
Then you too may have smiled at its beauty, at its strength
The Twin Towers, now diminished, now gone
Stood towering over their neighbors as if they protected the rest of Manhattan’s lower side
From any danger that may ever pass its way
The danger that they would see, too great to even understand
Guardian angels, the towers stood side by side covering its city
And I look at my photos as I looked that day and I see that they didn’t really fit
All other buildings kept at an even stand
And then the Twins stood taller than all the rest
But oh, how they completed the marvelous view
Never to be the same even if rebuilt
The Twin Towers have been lost in such a horrific way
Lives lost, lives injured, beyond repair
I have seen it in its glory days
Where night could be the only way a view may be taken
Darkness would only blanket the sky for the city’s lights would illuminate still
Twin Towers, 110 stories each
Never did I imagine the numbers which graced the floors daily
The souls who loved, who were loved
Now gone or feared to be gone
The severity of the demolishing of such large monuments
Does not by far exceed the human loss we now face
New York City, one of the busiest cities in the world, now sleepless in despair
With landmarks around every corner
Twin Towers seen at each turn, always clearly visible in Manhattan’s famous skyline
Gone forever
But most important, lives who knew no greater evil than on that day
Now resting peacefully in some greater place
Where America isn’t an issue, hate not a word, fear never felt, death not a thought
But only serenity and belief
That a memory can last forever, that they could never be forgotten
That Manhattan’s skyline is the same as I remember it from July 14th
Full of life, full of souls, full of lights
Lights that shine brighter today even after the prevalent darkness
The skyline, Manhattan
Always, REMEMBER!

K.Boynton. September 12, 2001