Snow, sleet, rain and wind–
tonight is New York City’s time of umbrage
and discontent, whipping through streets,
screaming stormy weather in its path,
thunderous winter loosing electricity from her skies.
Streets slick, people wearied from the pounding snow
slow their steps, lest they fall–
this night creeps on till morning light
brings promises of sunny skies.
Snow is black in this city of endless life,
as cars roll by, buses filled with diesel fuel,
trains and dogs and people crushing it to hardened masses
the pristine flakes, now turned into a city’s detritus.
Images of white are cast in the mind
or painted apartment walls, with childhood memories lost in dreams.
The city’s snow has always been black.
A century before
when coal belched forth and sooted streets enveloped her
people, suffocating all. Black then
black now.
Our city was never white
once the white man stepped on shore,
the Dutch first to claim the tip and strike her into streets of mud and foulness
from her bowels released.
Count plagues and fever many,
as sewage and garbage, human waste and trash polluted waterways,
illness felled the poor, the rich fared better but not more so
that all succumbed to dysentery’s toll,
and 3,500 die of cholera 200 years later
while city bankers run money instead of water
through New York’s streets.
Perhaps snow is white in New England,
or in the land of Robert Frost,
or in Wyoming or Ohio,
but not here.
City dirt covers streets and parks alike,
there is no remedy,
so many in so little space continues unabated the grayness
cast from sky to street.
Even a summer’s heat bears no brilliance.
So odd that sometimes sky blue bears radiance unforeseen
as in that day more than a decade past
when death in contrast made a city gray and black as night.
February 9th, 2013 at 11:58 am
Hoping you stay warm and safe through the storms. Always love the idea of snow but, then again, dirty snow – maybe not so much 🙂
February 9th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Last night it was beautiful-this morning not so-but hot chocolate helps! Thanks
February 9th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
That’s exactly the currently weather…please stay safe&warm
February 9th, 2013 at 1:23 pm
It is delightful to hear from you and hope your paw is pawfect soon!
February 9th, 2013 at 1:30 pm
Snow really is only fun when it’s virgin and you get to it first!
February 9th, 2013 at 1:35 pm
Thankfully our pets aren’t as picky as we are!
February 9th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
We’re always the grumble guts when the heavens open, the freezer drops a load or some heavenly body eats beans – dogs, they don’t seem to notice 😉
February 9th, 2013 at 1:48 pm
Of course there is always one pet that takes offense at the heavens out-pourings. I had a collie who would hold it in for days rather than go in the snow. It was very disconcerting. He also disliked the rain. He was a fair-weather dog unfortunately, unlike most of his ancestors.
March 22nd, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Dilemmas of urban living so well-observed and noted in your writing. Incredible!
March 23rd, 2013 at 8:02 am
Occasionally it makes you want to crawl under the covers for a long, long time, just to escape. But spring is almost here!
March 23rd, 2013 at 8:15 am
Of course 🙂