Different Doors: Summer 2003. JOT Writers On Place

This brand-new issue of JOT features:

• Photography by John Brooks, Jennifer Moran, and José Rojas
  
• Introduction by Chicago historan Dominic Pacyga,
• And writing from over 60 JOT writers
  

Don’t miss NWA and “Different Doors” at the 2003 Chicago Humanities Festival: Saving + Spending.

Read work from the magazine! For more information on how to receive a copy of the magazine for $10 or to receive a year of JOT for $25, please call the NWA office at (773) 684-2742

POINT OF VIEW
Sharon F. Warner

The Wrigley Building never looks quite real to me.
It’s built at odd angles,
So even if you’re standing in front of it,
It still looks slanted.
You never see it straight-on.
It looks especially unreal at night.
It really seems, then,
Not to be a building at all,
But only a cardboard cut-out,
A huge cardboard cut-out.
You can look at it and believe
That if you walked behind it
There would be nothing there,
Except maybe a couple of tabs
Holding it up.
Now, I have been inside the Wrigley Building.
I’ve entered it from different doors,
Been in it in the daytime and at night.
So I know it is
Full, complete, three-dimensional, substantial.
But still, when I’m outside of it,
The Wrigley Building never looks quite real to me.

MORNING IN THE CITY AND THE WINDOW IS OPEN
Michael Brownstein

We wake to a singe of cloud light,
the humid smell of humans,
a slush of cars on wet asphalt.
Rain puddles into rainbows.
Late, we rush to dress and shower,
hail a cab too bright yellow,
and thinking missed breakfast, ask,
“Can I have Avers and Clark, please?”

RUNNING IN THE PARK
Ursula H. Zdanowski

My Saturday morning ritual begins with a run in the park. I’ve been running along the lake almost religiously for sometime now. Once I enter the pristine park, the aroma of lilacs greets me.

I spend more time running in the park on Saturday mornings. I either go by myself or with friends depending on the day. The park really comes alive on the weekends. Everyone is out there running, biking, walking, and simply enjoying the outdoors. I love seeing all the action and hearing the birds and children at play. I think they all feel it’s a special place like I do. It almost becomes another world, where the stresses of life are not allowed to enter.

My run begins at the runner’s starting point in Edgewater Beach along the lake, which is marked by a tall sign. Here, I stretch and get mymind and my body psyched up for the run ahead of me. I tell myself, “You can run a long run today. You can do it and you will do it.”

On nice sunny days, it’s easy to con-vince myself to go running. Those are the best days for me, because the weather is nice and I’m feeling good. Yet, on days when it’s gloomy, it seems a bit harder to get myself motivated to even go for that run. On those days, when my emotions are heavy and sad, I try harder to find the power within me to just do it. Once I’m between Irving Park and Montrose, the peace garden meets me on my path. Here, I take a breather, listen to the water coming down in the water fountain, which is decorated with shiny stones. It’s quite a beautiful place. Ahh…it feels like serenity. After a few moments of rest, I start running again. A soft breeze joins me at times, which is comforting. It pushes me to want to run faster and be better.

When my run is completed, I return to where I started. I jump up to the sign, which marks the end of my run. I feel liberated and ready to take on whatever comes my way. It’s a quite a rejuvenating feeling, because my spirit is uplifted after my run in the park.

It’s my special haven.

© 2003 Neighborhood Writing Alliance
All rights revert to the authors.