Out on the streets of New York,
The first appearance of morning,
A preliminary warning
That a new day has begun
While my expectations rise high
As numbers filter through my mind,
Avenues and streets become a network
When studios and skyscrapers somehow
Coincide to take me anywhere
When my heart desires...
Weary faces passing through
The cross-road of the world,
Holding frozen thoughts and muted words,
In the very heart of Times Square,
Some looking happy or tired,
These faces are clear signs
And must be read quickly
To learn their story hidden behind
Or absolve their tiredness or vitality...
I hold my head down
So as not to give myself away,
Relieved to be among strangers
Who do not understand-so readily,
The natural disturbance
Of my presence-or the glance
That permits no admittance...
Practical concerns I put off for a while
For this is the right place
Though I have arrived a bit late
To capture the original chance
To be myself at a glance...
Here-is no more crowded
Than anywhere else
When the greatest pressure
Is a throng of questions
That elbow me alone in a room,
Watching my every move
As anyone I ever knew
Was constantly demanding:
'What do you do? '...
Here I am, always rushing and late
And always in the same place,
Frozen in time and space,
Boundaries I can no longer delineate
When I am daily struggling with my fate...
This is the dilemma of New York,
Honestly expressed my dear folks,
The reality everyday I must face...
©All Rights Reserved-2011
I get it perfectly, as I feel it daily, but not in the city I have left, in the country side where I may not hang my head, and therefore must hide behind my smiles, the emptiness within. The mask I wear is for them, and inside, all alone, I find my home...thanks for the share, great write....smiles n blessings...
This is pretty well-written. It seems interesting, although I don't quite get it.
Hello! This is the first time I've read a poem of yours and I really enjoyed it. I think you talk in a really nice way about the feelings we all share, regardless our living in big cities or not. Thank you for the invitation; -)
Nice storyteller in form of your own shaped poetry :) somehow i agree both of them said...this is not onlt NY dilemma but it also appears as universal dilemma...nice writing friend! _Unwritten Soul
Mohd compares NY to Mumbai two vital cities I adore...but you're right it is everyone's delemma...'here is no crowded than anywhere else'...it's all in the mind! As always you write well...
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
This is dilemma of all the big cities of the world. Your poem reminds me of Mumbai which also faces the same situation daily. You have beautifully delinated the real nature of NY. A great thought provoking write. Thanks for sharing.....