Beware the fish 'neath the stone

They caught another coyote in Central Park today. Reminds me. There's a tiny little patch of Manhattan, one of those flatiron triangles carved out by either train lines or poor planning, down in the West Village somewhere. This orphaned triangle, shaded by apartment buildings and adjacent to a busy avenue, is a "park"; that is, there are a couple of trees & a bench or two. The gilding on this lily is a pathway of flat limestone with images of trout etched upon it. Why trout? The park's name (cannot recall the name, sorry... it's "---kills," I think) is the Dutch name for the creek that ran through the area before heavy settlement. Apparently the creek was known for the plenitude of trout.

Now, of course, there is no creek. However, a small sign notes that nearby residents in the creek's former path have complained of leaks in the basement from time to time. I like to think of pale trout coursing underneath the buildings, following a hardy trickle of moisture through the soil, winding around basements and subway tunnels.