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A Moment Of Insufferable Anguish Circa Late 1980'S Early 1990S
A Moment Of Insufferable Anguish circa late 1980's early 1990s
An ideal spring morning enveloped the shark tank city (of brotherly love and hate) in a golden halo.
Beauty and radiance even transformed the ghetto sans Skidrow into a tantalizing paradise. The outdoors beckoned (like a regal seductive temptress), and relegated all their priorities to the distant future.
A walk to the waterfront in general, and Penn's Landing in particular (where during warm weather evenings folk music wafted along the water front echoing off the hulls of restored tall ships) appealed to me.
Afoot brestworks at a slow pace brought enjoyment per rhythmical cadences natural Buzzfeed ding sponsored uninterrupted stroll vis a vis pastoral symphony. Thus this mindful mortal mustered myopic nerve obliged plants, and occasional stray cats, or other city zen altered animals.
Within a compressed tract of land (an effort exerted) to block out gruesome, noisome, ransom ransacked thru indignant usurpation asper tell tale tracks linkedin with murderous mankind, renown foe unsightly unpleasant industrialization, fragmentation, commercialization, et cetera, via the entrenched exploitation, indiscretion, occupation.
Athwart once capacious, fabulous, illustrious pristine land prevailing preserved prepared pockets provided privilege to coexist with self anointed superior human race, this soulful gamboling chap casually ambled along the historical marina, which allowed, enabled, and provided a remnant qua as envisioned by Willian Penn before he or builders of these masted dons cleft chronological signature vis a vis stalwart shipshape bulwarks at their prime.
Also this sentient being imbibed the latest Renaissance (recurring every year during this undulating, trumpeting, rejuvenating season) greeting this country boy (er man), whose remembrance of being witness to rebirth of nature (yes even within the urban jungle) found me smell bound.
Thee natural bountiful elixir inebriated thine noggin (going agog analogously, asper stoked with rum spike eggnog) whirring a webbed world within this cultured wiseacre, where wonderment went nonstop ah sigh gayly jarred lovingly, observed quietly, tendered wonderfully, vibrant flora and fauna re-emerging, sans dormancy oblivious to humanity crowd sourcing Penn's woods for hundreds of years!
Ah, this writ tulle viz life regarding being a member of thee execrable human race, how would Saint August Stein beckon to tread unseen while (maladroit numbskulls overtly plotted, questingly ravaging savagely textured uber Venus virginal wellspring zealously annexing, demolishing, vanquishing, et cetera once virgin timbers with a spit of landscape unsullied found one contemplative, furtive, intuitive, (what me worry) live outlier quietly retaliating, zapping barrage from cares and concerns of an uncertain world woefully violated indigenous village people (voodoo ineffective) as Europeans (forefathers giving high five inducing jealous killing, looting, muckraking, et cetera) vaingloriously victoriously viciously vicariously vaunted vanity!
Thus while attempting to enjoy token genus and species flick ring, instagram ming, snapchat ting, various life forms (an infinitesimal jot asper biota diversity kept alive for current generation) laughably minuscule.
This introspective individual envisioned ferociously greedy henchmen itching jubilantly.
Oh how they kneaded, leavened, manifested notorious, outrageous, pernicious perpetration ruthlessly slaughtering, trouncing, undermining vital whirled wide web yoked to religion stoicism, trumped dynamism bucked up within against me, the devious ways early settlers adopted to terra firmae and pronounce themselves uber tyrants.
Despite the paucity of indigenous plants and/or animals, (in direct proportion to wave after influx tsunami, sans self sanctified Homo Sapiens haphazardly, madly, riotously, et cetera swirling all around me, this ordinary outsider, typical nonestablishmentarian), I strained to listen, and heard melodious airs
of wondrous winged creatures (competing with hubbub of city sin Kane) while nasal passage wafted from perfume odors tinged from quotidian exhaust mixed with industrial air pollution.
No small matter malingering, postulating, scrutinizing, et cetera the ecological impact since once verdant unsullied expanse (impossible to imagine dragons, killers, nirvana, et cetera) absent from ever fanciful glade to noxio,us odious, pernicious assault upon senses and sensibility, this troubadour resumed his leisurely stroll toward the Delaware River.
Aside from grimy humiliation (courtesy of incessant jackanapes), nothing could spoil the serenity of body, mind and spirit, or so naive innocent docile Matthew Scott Harris thought!
Although more comfortable to romp within wooded (albeit rural) areas I, eventually became acclimatized to aforementioned noisome rat trap.
While en-route to the general objective viz Penn's Landing, and the revived, reconditioned, gentrified close to mint condition, et cetera weather beaten once sea worthy diligently built by shipwrights (giving rise to sea sunned longshoreman, plus concomitant employment rigged tug heather), I became engrossed, hypnotized, and lulled into magical notions, when hustle and bustle of an image of America when and country much more pronounced than the here and now. A nostalgic fantasy desire busted awoke within this reflective simian, which mirage further evinced on account of pitch perfect weather.
While basking (like a robin) in the glorious visage, I reckoned to take a repast while pretending to be a mariner of Auld Langs Hide.
Unbeknownst to being captivated by prestidigitation, no distinct attention cast upon a young, dark skinned man (mid twenties or thereabouts) until he crossed over to the same side of street as myself. This occurred in the area of Head House Square. Suddenly, a heightened sense of suspicion arose within me.
So much for day dreaming dockside, especially when he continued to follow closing the distance between us. A premonition of evil lurked, and stole that omnipresent peaceful easy feeling. This menacing extra sensory perception dramatically doubled, tripled, quadrupled with palpable endangerment to mine kempf.
Seconds ticked by in tandem with what sounded like an ear splitting heartbeat with the fear factor rising tearing my built in SecurityGuard tattered to shreds.
Aggressive behavior climaxed from this hooligan, whose belligerence found him manhandling me, a willow the wisp lightweight whisper of a chap, who suddenly became very passive (aggressive oft times, the semi successful stance taken when thy father and/or mother came their only son (of a bitch) a severe dressing down, which stonewalling gave respite until the subsequent ultimatum.
A gut reaction, that same non verbal tactic would be useless, as would thee extremely unlikely scenarios that a. an unidentified object would snatch one or both of us for primate experimentation; b. a heavy object would suddenly fall from the sky, perhaps a chunk of Skylab long since contributing to advancement of astronomy; or c; I suddenly become equipped with super powers, and can give one swiftly tailored harried styled kick to this beastie boy, deplorable doofus... Small talk idled away time from this Billy goat gruff, barricading, forcing noxious deadly harmful launching punches, threatening vicious wantonly lobbed knuckle sandwiches, which fist sized, ring laden right hand fingers (bejeweled digits only add heft) loaded with a retinue of hate filled expletives heaped upon a diminutive frame (whereat a thought bubbling thought arose) regretting never learning self defense.
Hence (similar to a incident while attending first or second grade (at Audubon Elementary – my dear Watson) circa mid nineteen sixties, when Lloyd Lavinsky, (whose name never escapes minecrafted consciousness) came within a hair breadth to sock the living daylights, but dropping to Marcy's playground (of course no teacher witnessed), a plethora of survival tactics found this poor bloke at his wit sin tide end, and can only chuckle now, what ruse became an amazing saving grace!
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