182. Strangers, together
tiny stories for the people of new york.
Dear reader,
Today I am writing tiny stories. Doing so helps me see the drawings as more than just some lines. It brings depth to the characters, grants personhood to their forms, it sparks life into fleeting impressions.
Join me in the comments.
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Strangers, together
The morning was cold, much colder than in her native Bangladesh. She did not know anyone in the whole compartment, not even the passengers sharing her seat.
They were wearing thick winter jackets, she noticed, just like hers. She saw their bags. Maybe they had travelled a long distance too, just like her. Maybe, she thought, they also did not know anyone in this city.
Rocked by the same train on the same tracks, they were going in the same direction as her. It was a comforting thought.
Dear reader, pick a tiny person from the page above. Write a tiny story for them in the comments.
Man watching others, left page, bottom-center
He walked the Highline every week, even when it was cold, even when it was windy. He liked to spot the tourists, that passed through his city every season like migratory birds.
There was the family visiting New York for the first time. There was a group of young friends, laughing and taking selfies. There was the couple huddled together, sharing a hot coffee.
How little they knew of his city! He could tell them where to get a better coffee. He could show them a better angle for selfies. He could tell them where to go next. He could …
Dear reader, pick a labelled person. Or label one yourself. Pick someone that could belong to your world. Tell their tiny story.
A Jackson Pollock
“But what does it mean?” she asked.
“Art does not have to mean anything,” her friend, the artsy type, replied.
“That’s convenient,” she sniffed.
“Yes.”
Dear reader, last week I was at the MoMA. Pick a tiny person and give them your own story from a beautiful museum.
This week’s best stories win a free postcard in their mailbox!
Thank you, dear reader, for your time and attention. I am glad to have a space in your inbox.
"Strangers Together"
Strangers together
Huddled up on the A-Line
A brief connection
“Morning Vibe”:
Knitted hat pulled tightly over still-damp hair, she pushes her hands deeper into the pockets of her quilted bomber jacket.
Outside, the landscape is an underpainting: roughed-in rectangles of brick and mortar, grey stripes of the avenue beyond the subway line. The intention is there, but the details are still lacking - at least, for a few more weeks.
She lets out the breath she was holding beneath the thin surgical mask.
Saying goodbye was never easy, even when she knew it was coming.