Mar
31
2009
Northern Light
I’m on the northbound cross-town run, 7am. A perfect snowy January morning. The bus was a touch early but that’s OK. On the south approach to the valley I receive a great view of downtown. Now, great is relative. Some would say that this morning was uglier than a beaten dog, but I would say different. There’s a beautiful obscuring haze; a diaphanous specter that hangs over everything lending the scene a dark, moody taint. Despite that, the buildings of western downtown are distinguishable. They line up like frozen pond divers. Black rectangles in a field of white / gray, most of them are inexplicably lightless at this not so late hour. But not all. One solid structure is conspicuous for a bright orange light emanating from a suite on the 7th floor (roughly). Dimmer lights dot the other buildings but this one is the brightest of the bunch. I see it for less than a minute – less than the time it takes the 128 to traverse the river valley. It will be another seven weeks before I see a sunrise at this time of day, but today, someone’s distant incandescent lamp will have to suffice.
