Window of Opportunity – 5:10., © 1998

"Window of Opportunity" examines the moment
of decision that eclipses the collision of internal and
external conflict. Images of natural and mechanical
processes slowly converge on a single instant in a
confluence of coincidence, then slowly disperse
again leaving the moment behind.

voice over script:

from "At Arm's Length"

he wakes to the instant memory
of the train's gentle nudge as it comes to rest.
startled. adrenaline. this is his stop.
he hurls himself down the aisle past awakening,
through the dim florescence in the car
toward the opening to the night,
through the gap between the mechanical doors.
suddenly invoked into action.
they close abruptly on one shoulder and his ribs.
the train lurches forward.
these jaws have no conscience.

squeezing his torso, the train gains speed.
he pries with both arms and back and lungs.
more limbs emerge.
as the end of the platform approaches, he is flung
into the air, deadly rushing metal roars,
now an impervious blur.

left spinning,
staggering in the darkness at the end of the line.
the high-pitched hiss of unconsciousness hovering,
poised just inside his inner ear and eyes.
his vision flattens.

and in the quiet,
after the passing breeze,
the still night embraces him.
warm and moist as his skin,
and his shirt, a second skin, a night sweat,
he stands shaking, thick in the air of escape,
mi compañero.
the risk of collision kept at arm's length