Black ship of night
sailing through the world
& the moon an orange slice
tangy to the teeth
of lovers who lie
under it,
sucking it.
Somewhere there are palm trees;
somewhere the sea
bluely gathers itself up
& lets itself fall again
into green;
somewhere the spangles
of light on the ocean
dazzle the eyes;
but here in the midnight city,
the black ship of night
has docked
for a long, dark stay,
& even the citrus moon
with its pockets of juice
cannot sweeten the dark.
Then the snow begins,
whirling over the Pole,
gathering force over Canada,
sprinkling the Great Lakes with sugar
which drowns in their deep black cups;
it is drawn to the spires of New York
& the flurries come
scampering at first,
lighthearted, crystalline, white,
but finally
sucked into the city
as into a black hole
in space.
The sky is suddenly pink-
pink as flesh: breasts,
babies' bottoms. Night is
day; day is whiter than the desert;
the city stops like a heart;
pigeons dip & veer
& come to rest
under the snow-hatted
watertanks.
I like your description so deeply in this poem. Thank you for sharing.
This is what New York is during the month of January. Very nice. Loved it.
Beautiful poem with wonderful description of nature during January prevailing at New York.Thanks for sharing.10 points.
January I am waiting for snow a real deep snow.... beautiful poem
Erica Jong certainly has a way with words and creating an unforgettable atmosphere with them. There are so many descriptive phrases that stir our imagination but I enjoyed the most the simple.... snow-hatted watertanks.
Exactly what New York City is like in January. Beautiful descriptions! Thanks.
Night is day; day is whiter than the desert; the city stops like a heart; ..............Nice.
Now I can say I visited New York.....Thanks for sharing such a wonderful poem...
I love the imagery. Gives life to the event in my mind.