Walking to the office

Early Fall wind,
not fierce but insistent.
Commuters are blown
out of the stairs
onto the sidewalks.
Tourists are buffeted into
coffee shops on 7th Ave.
I cross to the left
of a gaggle of Europeans,
if the waiting bust takes a
false start I will be hit first.
Walking to the train with
my grandmother I released
her hand and ran
across the street
putting her in the path of an
oncoming trolly.
The smell of baking croisants
and city dust bustle
down the blocks.
I watch the heels of women's
pretty shoes,
their graceful ankles.
Cross walks.
Taxis.
High windows,
towers of a day,
a circle.
Every future present past
spread out like
toys on the rug,
all the favorites
within reach.

At the End of the West

At the end of the West there is the
Clink of glasses and cocktail conversation
Fading into crickets and the wind through switch grass
The stillness of the sky is reflected in glass and steel
The closeline white of empty billboards
Making only more sky from different shapes
Like the wheels of a station wagon coming to rest at
The base of a cul-de-sac
On an evening drive home from the shore
The curled outlines of sleeping heads against
Back seat windows and the quiet movement of
Pulling the parking break and lifting out the cooler
There is the sense of a ball coming to rest
In a corner
The feel of abject exhaustion after running
For so long
Of simply wanting to sleep
The end of open prairie, farms and subdivisions
The end of manifest destiny
The end of driving a limo into the ocean
At the end of the west there is not even the
Whisper of "I told you so"
Just the lap of water on stone

Break

Things to break:
Heat
Shoes
Lunch
Tea
Bread
Away
Summer

Things not to break:
Heart
-up
-down
Dreams
Glass
Wing
Word

Summer day bright and cheerful

Decency
White dress fresh and crisp
A spray of flowers
A well chosen pencil
A good summer tan
Whir of city
The beat beat beat of wings
Sharp smell of pine
Nothing far
Everything within reach
All that is needed is the three hole punch
Neatly wound twine
And will

Made for good things
Every night sky makes its
Singular promise
Stringing a bright row of
Tomorrows

Danger Will Robinson!

My friend Sly showed me this.

Verdict stay on the west side of Prospect Park.

http://projects.nytimes.com/crime/homicides/map?ref=nyregion

Four days of rain

grey
slant
tiny sheets
angled blades of liquid grass
fall down as commuters scale the stairs
up to the street
wet newspapers
puddles
small lakes at every corner
wet pant hem
leaning into the wind
cold fingers wrap
umbrellas pop
high above Spring spreads
unearthly green
hot pink

Attention Photographers (and anyone who wants to go to the Galapagos)

Energizer Ultimate Lithium and National Geographic have created their second annual Ultimate Photo contest which invites photography enthusiasts to share photos for a chance to be judged by world-renowned photojournalist, Jim Richardson, and win a trip to the Galapagos Islands along with a spread in National Geographic Magazine.