The Village of Bronxwood Avenue (A Kind of Fiction Series) Part 2
It was mid-August when I moved in and lots to explore. Not being used to having access to nature spaces for three years in Manhattan I was in heaven. Not many people think of The Bronx as a haven for nature buffs but it has the largest span of forest in New York City. I figure whatever quirkiness I was going to encounter in The Village it was going to be made up for in the forests.
The first time I walked down to Bronx Park I was like, OK, it’s a park. Little did I know on the other side of the river was the forest and the Botanical Gardens. So, I went for a long walk down the park which runs along the river. When I came to a turn that went under an overpass then turned into a bridge over the river I saw the forest and realized what a magical place it is.
I had one friend that lived in The Bronx about three quarters of a mile away. Linda. Linda is old school Bronx. She’s Italian. She’s also an atheist like me. We met when I was facilitating secular groups for people in recovery in Manhattan and I was looking for non-religious resources for people. She runs an atheist recovery group in The Bronx. She has a great sense of humor and we became fast friends. Now we live near each other and I have a girlfriend close to home.
Linda is always walking around the all the grocery stores and dollar stores looking for stuff on sale. She loves to walk and so do I so we meet at the circle under the Gun Hill Road overpass. We love to go to Woodlawn Cemetery. Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place of many notable people in history. It’s filled with beautiful mausoleums, ponds, waterfalls and plots belonging to jazz musicians, artists, writers, entertainers and the list goes on. We search for their plots blindly and end up talking for hours and never find what we are looking for. We pledge we are going to bring map but never do.
Woodlawn Lake photo credit Loren Rhoads/CemeteryTravel.com
“I want to see Miles David and Duke Ellington’s gravesites today,” I say to Linda. “I forgot the map but I remember where they are. First I want you to see these pond fish. Then we just take a right right after and we’ll be at Duke’s.”
We wandered around lost in conversation for about two hours when I finally asked her, “You don’t know where we’re going do you?”
“I guess not.”
. . .
One day after a walk in the cemetery Linda comes over to my place because I read tarot cards. Just for fun but they can be an interesting source of insight. She’s got a broken heart and is looking for resolution. I lay out the cards and we look to them for any sign that will point her out of this emotional mess. It pains me to see someone hung up on a person that isn’t interested in them so I am intent on helping her clear this up.
Four card spread which turned out like this:
- Root of the issue - King of Pentacles - This is the dude and he has a lot of power over her
- What stops her from moving on - Ace of Swords - no surprise there, she has a dagger stuck in her heart that he put there
- What will help her move forward - Nine of Pentacles - THIS IS AMAZING! She couldn’t have gotten a better card in this position. The elegant lady in the card has made a choice to walk in grace and sacrificed lower instincts for self-control, even though it may seem hard right now. As a result she has taken back her power enjoys all that life has to offer. Could not have been more perfect.
- Advantages of holding on - Knight of Swords - Since this card indicates preparation for battle there are no advantages for her to hold on. She needs to let go and stop fighting.
A single tear streams down Linda’s face. Of course, this reading isn’t an amazing revelation but she knows now she has to consciously let go and move on. She sees clearly now - he does not care about her. We’ll have plenty of girl time and fresh air where she can let it all go.
Linda and I walk back toward the train station where we part ways as I go on to do some shopping and she goes up the hill on home. “You’re gonna be allright, Linda. You deserve better even if you can’t see it now.” She looks at me with wet eyes. Gives me a broken smile and heads over the overpass toward the hill.
Names have been changed to protect the innocent the guilty and everyone in between
@soulsistashakti is a chillout and dance musical artist and writer based in NYC. You can check out my music on my FB artist page at https://www.facebook.com/soulsistashakti
images other than Woodlawn Lake morguefile.com