Wednesday, August 10, 2011

leave it to the chinese girl to do it.

what about lincoln memorial? absolutely moving. his eyes gaze into the eternal present moment. the view of white house from jefferson's feet is spectacular. the tourmobile narrator says, today's the president's birthday. so i let my voice glide across tidal basin as i wish him a happy birthday. having said all that i have to say my top fave d c monument is the one for vietnam war.

really. leave it to a chinese girl to do it.

just two triangular, walls of black marble joined along the upright edge. yet as i walk along the pebbled path that takes me from the lowest point towards the highest i realize i am going below ground and soaring into the sky both at once. suddenly i notice the polished black marble become a mirror. it reflects beautifully the essentials of this physical universe. sky. cloud. trees. grass. birds. men and women and children. i feel the cool drizzle gently tapping the back of neck. in that moment i realize i am within a memorial whose limit is the sky. amidst all this grandeur are the names of men and women who sacrificed their lives.

miss maya lin did not use marble in the roman way or greek way. through a simple vision she created with meticulous attention a place where i experience respect from my heart for all those who give up the ultimate that anyone can offer for something that is bigger than their individual selves. the reflections constantly shift. but the oneness that is the same in everyone and everything stay untouched and pure. standing at the corner i look up to the top of the walls. part of my gaze is irresistibly drawn toward the clear sky. it is no different from the sky in the black mirror. the selves of all those whose names are engraved are no different than mine. the sky above me and that coming through the black mirror are not separate. one sky.

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