I have lived away from New York
For almost twenty years
So that when I returned
There was, in my mind,
An anticipation of the scent of home.
I have walked, now, and rewalked
The streets that were, and should now be
Familiar.
But, these old streets are now time transmuted.
The shops that I knew, places solidly carved
Into my mind are now forgotten legends.
This place,
Which has inherited the name 'New York',
Teases my memories like a Hollywood set
Assembled by a bad technician.
I feel like a tyrannosaurus rex
That has wandered into the Holland Tunnel
At rush hour.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem