Staying Awake
Dad loved voting
first in his precinct
he let me pull the lever
to clank-close the curtain
I step into a shimmering pool
but there's no water
the concrete waves in sunlight
what I reach for isn't there
what are you,
my Welsh cousin asked
Jewish? English? white?
not quite
Dad believed in voting
as immigrants do
and in America
& what we kids could do
how pleasant to be immortal
in sunlight flipping
through plane trees
neighbors with dogs walk by
they're at home
cops get ready
some challenge the air
some relax before they start up tough
it could be a hundred years ago
or a thousand
people dream
a future & a past & perch
right here, one laugh, one hairdo.
one steel can, a pigeon,
a schoolbus, a man
the air so rich we can't stay awake
You, not-old Chinese lady with curved back,
what can you tell me about your native town
or farm? Or is that the Bronx in your mouth?
the air so rich we can't stay away