Sunday, February 13, 2011

Oh to be a Kid Again...

Pictured here is Robert Gonzales Smith, a member of the Junior Police Department in Hong Kong. Their solgan is "the cutest lil crime fighters you'll ever meet." He works in the major crimes unit. Everyday Robert takes this water taxi from his home into the city on his way to work. He told me that he has seen a lot of things in his time on the force that have made him lose faith in the goodness of humanity, but there is one thing he still enjoys; "I love the quiet ride across the shimmering water. The smell of the sea, the cool air on my face. For these few minutes the world seems to melt around me, condensed down until there is nothing more then the waves made as the boat scoons across a sea of blue. But, as I look up at the city... my city, I remember. I remember the life I gave to this city. The sins I have committed in order to protect her. And then, that sea of blue changes. I see it filled with the tears of all the mothers whose sons will never come back home, their lives claimed by these streets. It's like drops of rain in a dirty puddle. And I realize that no matter how hard I try I will never be able to stem the inevitable tide of flith that floods into the once pure water of life. So you asked me 'why do I sit here staring out?', well I'll tell you; it is because this is the last thing I have that reminds me that there was once good in this world. This is the last glimpse of something real, of something true I have to hang onto, and I hold on tight because I am scared that if I look out one day and feel nothing, I will have fallen into the darkness... just another victim, claimed by the city. But I can't stop. I can't quit. This is my job... this is what I do. "

No comments:

Post a Comment