High Bodied Checkerboard Pigeon Discus

Just up the street from the New York Aquarium, the most heroic human beings to walk the city’s concrete convene seven days a week. They are the men and women of FDNY Battalion 43, Engine 245/Ladder 161. Lucky for me, it is where my brother and I meet whenever he’s up for a drink after work or a simple trip down memory lane. 

Most times he’s already out of his suspenders, off the clock, and waiting when I arrive. But every once in a while I’m there early enough to catch him and the guys returning in the truck I can still recall him rolling beneath the Christmas tree and all of its candy canes. Such recollections have me convinced that there can be no better way to honor our first responders and recognize the man he’s become than to have a nice school of High Bodied Checkerboard Pigeon Discus delivered to them.

Aside from bearing a design that exudes a fireman’s essence, the bright red and white striations marking the vibrant fish draws me into the labyrinth of sights that defined our Coney Island upbringing. Before the construction of MCU Park gave those strolling the boardwalk an opportunity to watch pitching prospects spin the scarlet stitching of a Rawling’s baseball, the landmark Parachute Jump that stands high over the stadium was all that was there. And between that towering crimson monument and the red and white rails of the iconic Cyclone rollercoaster down on the other end of Surf Avenue, there was red everywhere.

These days I can’t unsee Checkerboard Discus all around me whenever I revisit my Coney Island days. Local hair salons would do well setting up tanks for patrons who pass their twirling red and white barber’s pole to glare into while they wait. Considering it’s complimentary red and white awning, the owner of Rita’s Italian Ice may want to do the same – if not to steal the attention of customers crossing over from Nathan’s Famous – for the familiar enjoyment of the occasional Battalion 43 firefighter who stumbles in for something cool to balance out a hard day’s work.