THE MIRROR MAKER

So what was it about Austin that reminded me of Milan? Absolutely nothing on the surface. Not the surface of the water bifurcating downtown. (Is it a lake? Is it a river?) Not the bridges or the banal skyscrapers or the obvious influx of New Money, though I did see some of that in the modern part of Milan. Not its self-aggrandizement, beckoning the young from all corners to give up the American West or East to move here, the wannabe center of things. I loved the hotel like I’d never loved a hotel before, and the trails almost made it feel like a walkable city. But there was no fantastic tram or cathedral rooftop like in an Antonioni movie. No navigli or interior courtyards. No, there was not an inkling of Milan in Austin — just some parts of myself in both, left behind to wait. (MAR 2019-SEPT 2021)