Pigeon Lady

 Her usual spot is on 5th Avenue near the Metropolitan Museum. A collapsible ironing board holds the large container of food for the pigeons. It’s also her podium. She is a pigeon advocate, a pigeon proselytizer sharing information about why we should admire pigeons. She sees them as a necessary part of the big-city ecosystem. She is not necessarily wrong. Stop and listen to her, amid the cooing and fluttering of feathers as the flock pecks at her feet.

Beautyberry In Winter

 

In the autumn at the height of their ripeness this shrub's berries were a brighter orchid, almost plastic-shiny, nestling among bright green leaves. Now, they are shriveled and the colors have faded like the upholstery on an old chair left in a sunny spot. The birds will still be glad to have them. They are sustenance on frigid days. In the meantime, the tawny stems set off those berries nicely, a perfect complement from the opposite side of nature’s color wheel.

Lost Glove

 Standing on the platform, waiting for the next uptown train, I noticed the glove laying on the steps. Surely this happens every day during the winter. Scarves slip from coat collars, gloves become separated from their partners, mittens escape from kids in strollers. It looked so lonely, still formed into the shape of the hand it recently warmed. How long was it before the person realized this glove was gone? And what of the glove still on the hand or in the pocket of its person? Is it still being used, the bare hand now spending more time in a coat pocket? Does it miss its mate?

Bryant Park In Winter

 For those who live in a big city, any chance to spend some time outside is welcome, even in the winter. Manhattan’s Bryant Park is a prime spot to soak up some of the sunshine that makes its way through the surrounding skyscrapers and illuminates the edges of the bare trees. People huddle with cups of coffee and cocoa, or watch the skaters at the small rink. If it gets too cold, the grand New York Public Library is right there, always warmer and quieter.