Sitting on a Bench in Nelson A. Rockefeller Park

5/6/11

Sitting on a Bench in Nelson A. Rockefeller Park

The sun’s warm rays

Rub onto my skin

Like an affectionate cat,

A man lies in the grass with his bicycle,

Shirtless and close-eyed,

With nothing to do

But to do nothing, gracefully,

Two men in suits walk past

Discussing business affairs,

Things they’ve done and things to do,

And I laugh at them inside,

The Hudson River flows before me,

Not majestically,

Rather, each wave carelessly meanders

With no particular purpose,

Tall buildings across the river

Could touch the sky if they wanted to,

But they just stand like statues

Under the paper mache clouds,

Boats float on the Hudson

With sails like swans,

And nobody knows where they’re going,

And nobody seems to care.

I see the Statue of Liberty

Standing alone on her island,

Admiring the crayon drawn blue sky

And wholesome simplicity.