I take morning walks multiple times per week. Part of each trek’s itinerary includes a stroll through the woods bordering my neighborhood to the east. Woods that are on private property. So, yes, I’m a trespasser. Although the only barrier and private property notice exist at the end of one cul de sac. With no fence or signage present at the entrance I take via the park at the end of my cul de sac, I can attempt feigning aloofness if questioned about going back there. That said, I’ve been going into those woods for years. As have others. I think the main concern for the property owner(s) is keeping out poachers. Regardless, exploring those woods without permission always calls to mind the late great Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 sci-fi masterpiece Stalker. Tarkovsky was something of a paradox for the Soviet Union. His films were a tremendous source of pride for the revolution yet brazenly questioned the morality and feasibility of communism. Stalker marked the beginning of Tarkovsky’s fall from grace in the eyes of the politburo. Making one more film in the Soviet Union before defecting to the West.
© 2024 Stefan Diamante
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