I remember when I took a train to the city

Half way through the journey the train stopped along the Hudson.

And just for a moment I looked out on the empty expanse of water

The rippling reflection of the sky

And beyond it the forest

And I took in every detail that my mind could process in that amount of time.

The stunted tree standing alone and leafless among the rocks

The pieces of bricks

The pieces of wood

The leaves and debris floating in the water

Anything to latch onto

In case I need to remember this spot

In case someday I need to come back here

To this exact spot along the Hudson

And I don’t know why

I don’t know why it was important to me

Or why maybe it still is

And perhaps I will never see that spot again

Or maybe I will

But in that moment it was beautiful

Every stone or ripple

Every broken branch and twisting tree

In the remembrance of death

And the promise of life

With the melted snow pooling in the waters

The blue skies shining through the cloudless sky

I am reminded that any place can be beautiful

If you only stop long enough to look.