Aged with Loneliness

  First of all I’d like to apologize for the picture being so dark, it was only the night did I have time to go out and take a few shots of the neighborhood. As you take your first fleeting look at this picture of the Banana Country Inc. corner grocery store in its owl view setting it also assumes an instant interpretation of my neighborhood, that even in the deep hours of the dark sky many are still out shopping for imported fruits, vegetables and many other goods rarely found in a conventional grocery. While taking a good stare at this grocery on the corner of 120th Street and Liberty Avenue, though busy at first glance, has a lonely and weary look to its physical appearance.
     The awnings, though they look fairly new, an estimated 10 years to be exact has a dreary feeling to it. The yellow and white lettering on the red plastic surface stained by a few passing clouds over the years. If you take a closer look, just at the bottom of the awning is a blue tapaline rolled up is in fact very old. There is white threading hanging from ever section of it. Allowing the observer to really get an estimate of how long it had been since they were replaced. The lettering specifies that the grocery sells West Indian and American produce. This observation leads me to believe that the majority of the people who live in this area are West Indian. As you can see in the image, most of the shoppers, if not all have a West Indian appeal. The dim lighting on the inside gave off a gloomy reaction as to imagine those who shop intently at this corner market feel trapped in their dismal surroundings.
     On a brighter note, the dazzling rainbow colors of the fruits and vegetables sitting outside in it worn out wooden boxes appear to have the shoppers distracted. Perhaps allowing them the opportunity to break free of the depressed physical being of the grocery store and permits them to see what’s really in store for them! The imagine gives the reaction of a five year old opening presents at Christmas, excited to see what’s inside, like the customers who is excited to purchase their red tomatoes and green peppers.
Just above the store there are windows, which only allow for assumption that there are people living above this diminutive grocery. Or perhaps, that space is used for storage, who knows, it’s very hard to tell indeed because there isn’t much indication of anything, all there is are four lonely windows.
     The street sign that are parallel to the market indicate that 120th is a one way street. This implies for me that the surrounding neighborhood has a grid like formation, as do many areas of New York City. The signs are old and also have water stains from past rainy days. At the corner near the post for the signs is a wooden street lamp. As you can see the lamp has been used for a lot of advertising throughout time. There are still pieces of taps and staples protruding out of the wooden surface. And lastly, if you pay close attention to the side walk you will see the parking post lined up in sequence along the street. This tells me that perhaps, the cross street that this market sits at is a very busy and commercial area.