Finding Urban Serenity: Along the Mississippi River

Written by David Fallon, Upstream Care for Place Fellow

David Fallon is a BIPOC artist with a disability, living in the Twin Cities. A photographer and painter, David captures the day-to-day experiences that come with living in the city. His photographs remind people that there is natural peace in urban environments.

Having epilepsy limits my mobility. I can’t just drive to the lake for a little getaway. I look for peace in the environment I live in. The city. Today I returned to the Mississippi River to watch the leaves change. I’ve always found peace here. Surrounded by the golden leaves mixed with the scent of pine. It’s like returning to the scene of a cozy memory. There are old memories that come back to me as I stroll along Main Street and new memories waiting to be made. The leaves are vibrant! There’s a couple sitting on a bench. An old woman is watching the ripples flow by. And then I see it. The black case is covered in dirt. I flip the buckles of the case and inside lies a child’s violin. There are two pegs missing. The bow is there. But the bridge is missing, which I find ironic because we’re right next to a river. ‘Who was this child?’ I wondered. Judging from the state of the instrument it was clear that the original owner is no longer a child. I sat with the violin for a long time. Watching the sunset across the river. Wondering if I was the child the violin had been left for. Take a walk by the river, and spend some time in your local park, in Minnesota. There are memories calling you back, and new ones waiting to be made!

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