Human Art

It is not unusual to see something out of the ordinary in New York City. In fact, seeing the unique, the strange, and the different is all part of a usual day. I’ve spent a few days searching the city for something that stood out among the myriad of striking things. I’ve sped through streets, craning my neck to see as far left and right as my vision would allow. Yet to my surprise, nothing in particular caught my eye. It was only today, as I sat motionless on the subway that I embarked on an experience that was delightfully different. On the way from 28^th to 23^rd street, a lady of about 25 years entered the train and stood nearby me. The moment she stepped in, the eyes of each passenger magnetically drew their gaze to her.

Her black hair, tied into a braid and dyed green at the tips, hung over her bare shoulder. From her ears dangled shell-like metallic earrings. Adorning her slender fingers were numerous strange rings, one of which was shaped as a cicada.  Her clothing, consisting of a loose gray t-shirt and long black skirt, hung on her body. With her left arm outstretch and grasping a metal pole, I noticed that she had a tattoo of a black compass etched into her pale skin. Her pose was casual, indicating that at that moment of rapid movement she was relaxed.

It took me a few moments to bring my attention to her face, which I later reckoned to be the most remarkable part. With her thin lips pursed together, she was evidently engrossed in thought. Covering her eyes were circular sunglasses, those that John Lennon had made iconic decades ago. Everything about her seemed so strange yet wonderful to me. She was an eclectic combination of a vast array of styles, decades, and colors, all merged into one unique unit of human art.