More Lions (Thursday Doors)

The streets are my friends–
a concrete jungle, gridded
rampantly with doors.

I walk among guardians,
greeting them with a photo.

Lion spirits mix
garlands with mysterious
detailed messages.

Hello, tell me your story.
Silence keeps their secrets safe.

I encountered both of these lion doors while out running errands. The first building is rundown with an unremarkable metal door and buzzer system–yet it’s heartening to see that the lion guardians remain to keep evil spirits away.

I was able to find out a bit more about the second building– it was constructed in 1890, designed by architect John G Prague, with storefronts on Amsterdam Avenue and five stories. Three more stories were added in the early 1980s. The building is a rental with 46 studio, one- and two- bedroom units. There doesn’t seem to be much turnover, so I expect it’s well-maintained. It looks that way from the outside.

John Prague designed many many upper west side buildings and brownstones, but I was unable to find out any other information about him.

And I was left totally in the dark as to the reason for the Stars of David above the doorway. They make sense as an accompaniment to the lion ornaments, as both are symbols of Judaism. But the building is just an apartment building now–was there originally a synagogue inside? A religious school? I could find no information about it at all.

Life is full of mysteries. This is just another one to add to my list.

The poem I wrote for the lion doors answers the W3 prompt from Jaideep Khanduja for a tanka with personification using the words “concrete jungle”. And I’ve also used some words from Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday Random Word List: mix, greet, walk, detail, and rampant.

And look for more doors here at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.