We Are Going Back to the City

for a few days for this and that

I am often torn

about leaving the country

of course I love

New York City one of those loves

that hasn’t faded even a little

our orange apartment

every single person on the street

even if they intend to vote

for Ray Maguire or Andrew Yang

(maybe not Curtis Sliwa)

even love Pioneer Supermarket

mediocre and expensive selection

of all that you need because of the people

who work there Frankie for example a Haitian

man who’s been there 26 years his two sons

are engineers

and because for some reason

no one in the store seems to know

they now have a complete Arabic section

(pickled garlic!!! kebab spices!!!!) but this morning

on this porch this very porch where I have

sat and sat, unsuccessfully working on a

new story maybe it will be a new book

I couldn’t write much last week who knows why

I am sad to leave this almost perfect

place even knowing that by Thursday

I’ll be right back here again.