Driving I-95 S. Man on Wire.

~ Live & Learn

“…In my own mind I’m a mirror. I see everything except myself. This way I can’t lose: even when broken, a polished surface reflects whatever looks in. – Rita Dove, from “Self-Portrait”

Scene: I-95, between Exits 7 & 8 in Stamford, CT.  Morning commute.

Except for early morning hours, holidays, and snow storms, the scene is the same: traffic at a standstill for three exits.

I sit with hundreds of others in a sea of red tail lights.

There’s a flutter of wings, I shift my attention from Ahead to Up.  Birds on power lines, lines crossing six lanes of I-95. Never once noticed these lines on my commute. Hundreds of passings? Thousands?

Why, sit on this line, on this highway?

Why, all sit on the same line?

Why here, of all places on Earth?

There’s a quick beep-beep behind me, a large gap has opened up in front.

I glance at the driver in my rear view mirror, give him a wave, and in the split second on my return to I-95, I catch Me in the same mirror.

The red tail lights flicker, traffic is moving, and Me along with it.

Yes, why?

Notes: Post Title taken from Philippe Petit’s “Man on Wire“

31 thoughts on “Driving I-95 S. Man on Wire.”

  3. Scene 1: Lakeshore Drive. When I merge onto it from Hollywood Blvd. Third lamp post, one before last. 15 years…

    Scene 2: Devon Ave. In Little India, a banner, one of so many, all year long. The pigeons and their beautiful winter dance. Flying around in a tight group and then back to same banner.
    15 years…
    I don’t know!
    Maybe for the same reason we go back home every day? Yeah, same post, same home.

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  4. Had similar experiences in many places. The one that stuck with me (because I took a lousy but effective photo with the cheapest phone-camera of that time!), was when Hero Husband took an eternity to get a deal with a car rental company for a long-term rental and I stood outside the offices, looking up and saw that HUGE amount of birds sitting prettily, noisily and very close together on the bar of a metal (sort of a) handrail….. I still remember the thoughts I had at that time – the constant moving about between two countries, the miles, the problems it would cause and I actively felt jealous of those birds who DID know where they were flying, just there for a break and a fluffing of their feathers and a bite to eat…. 😉

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  6. Science says they warm up on the wires when it’s cold and that’s where they communicate too. And I guess the same reason we chop wood carry water everyday. Because that’s what everyone else is doing or believe we have to do! 😩 Me, I would definitely rebel and do something completely different! 😊

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  7. i’ve noticed that sometimes something may have been going on for a very long time, but suddenly one day i actually see it for the first time. it has been right before me many times before, but i opened my eyes to it on this day.

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  10. I am glad you have a respite from commuting & hope you are feeling well after you cold/sinus ick…the only time I see a sea of taillights is when I check the road cams where my sisters live or there is a fender bender in town & I give thanks that we rarely go on an interstate…last Sunday we walked along the river and I said it is the wrong time of day to catch a view of a blue heron in the water… we left the walking spot and drove not even two minutes to a farm to buy some pears & sugar pumpkins for our pie tomorrow…we delighted as hundreds of quacking geese put on a show overhead…we mentioned the geese to the lady at the farm and I told her how every years when their back loading door is open I snap a photo of the large pond or slew with the background of fall trees and leaves on display…she opens the door and I have no camera with me, she says a white egret been hanging on the near the bank all day…we glance across and in glorious splendor is the solo white egret I told her how great it it to see the egret as we’d just left the river and knew we wounldn’t see the blue heron…and we thanked her…and we drove home along the quiet road and then along the road that fronts the interstate we cross over the overpass and glance at the freeway and in unison say how glad we are to not have to be on the Interstate… (he always takes B complex before he heads on an Interstate)

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  11. Exactly because of those thoughts I packed up my bags and crossed the ocean. Just to sit on another line and keep asking myself the same thing. I don’t think we’ll ever stop wondering.

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