The Last Person to Hear Your Voice: Philadelphia’s Urban Sphere and Its Environmental Thresholds

Interview before Departure

Interview before Departure Why are you going on a pilgrimage? To be a pilgrim. Yes, but what is the first thing you will do? Open the door. And after that? Close it behind me. What is the most important goal of your journey? It will be there gradually. The year that makes the wine is not the year that drinks it. But what do you seek? A nail for my soup and one for each hand. A new flag for the holes in the world. The horizon, possibly Texas. I want to catch up with my laughter. What route will you take? It is getting colder. Perhaps sideways, like a crab. But do you follow a map? Yes. The topographical lines on my face and the wandering stars. Cruciform trees are a prelude to sunset. 97 What will you take with you? The boredom of afternoon. A skate key on a dirty string around my neck. My traveling companions: Left Foot the leader, Right Foot who follows. Will you stop in the homes of the rich or the poor? In both. They share the same flies. What do you expect to see along the way? The narcotic of loneliness. Teeth planted in rows awaiting harvest and eyes lined up on a windowsill to ripen. I will watch a hawk kill a mouse. I will be the mouse. What important things are you leaving behind? Words and their meanings. Several centuries. My St. Christopher medal. What my mother told me never to forget. What is that? I have forgotten. What will you bring back when you return? Lies ready for anything. The ledger of night with a new entry. I will not return. What will you do when you reach your destination? Ask forgiveness of a horse. Take stock options on a dry river. 98 Build a bird’s nest from memory. Try to remember the sky. Nothing. Petrify a little. What do you expect to accomplish by going? If I get to the sea, I will stop and consider. What will you consider? The sea. I will be a stranger. I will open my coat to the rain. 99 ...