NEW YORK CITY BALLET

TIMOTHY DAVID RAY

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NEW YORK CITY BALLET CANCELS SEASON

It all. Just. Happened. Before the ultra-rich on the Upper East Side began leaving in droves for their homes on Long Island and sending their kids to stay with relatives in the suburbs or to a host family. Before the New York City Ballet cancelled its season. Before the teachers stayed home. Before Broadway shuttered. Before the dog walkers stopped calling. Before the rent strikes, toilet paper wars and fiery fisticuffs over...over a head of Romaine lettuce at Go Grocer nearly started a neighborhood riot. Before the gun owners ‘loaded for Bear’ emptying all the ammo shop shelves. Before the lady at the cheese counter at the Market stared down at the display with dead eyes. Before every sneeze made you tweak your shoulder, turn your head and look away in horror. Before the tents in Central Park. Before Maury Povich ditched Manhattan for his ranch in Nebraska. Before the cops shut it down. Before they padlocked Mara Lago. Before the YMCAs, the abandoned warehouse, vacant public housing were used to shelter the sick, dying and homeless. Before we figured it was targeting Blacks again. Before ‘don’t touch me,’ before, house arrest. Before the cut and run. Before my neighbor jumped out the 19th floor window for...being alone. Before the body counts kept piling on and on and on and on and...Before night terrors. Before the churches stopped serving...everyone. Before the hospital care worker, who had 30 working under her started ending every shift by telling them: ‘I love you.’ Before they told us that ‘even the smallest
particles, like a virus or atoms, make a sound, they off a sound when they knock into things. Before you became numb to it all. Before ‘Tragedy Fatigue. Then. There I remembered. Frozen in magnanimous splendor, like a giant ice house, dripping with crystalized stalagmites, foggy windows, stained glass and...if you could make it out through the numbness and the tears, a...a person, a human being frosted like a statue on the front porch, feet making an upside down ‘V’ as if to leap off the steps, a hand out up -stretched, but not moving, almost calling out, the mouth paralyzed in a ring. Begging to break free. Wanting. Ready. To call out to somebody ‘Hell---------o.’