This city’s heart beats.
Car horns and sirens
Pulsate on the edge of this verdant tranquility.

I gaze at the fence’s swiveling spindles,
Which provide a barrier between Strawberry fields
And the avenues.
Heaven and earth.

Shifting my eyes to the salt and pepper tiles of the walkway
Garnished in marigolds the color of orange peels and lemonade,
I quench my mind’s thirst to Imagine.

You can find me nestled into the brick stairs
That snake around Bethesda Fountain,
Where the sun acquaints herself with the Angel of the Waters.

Or by the painter who’s always here,
Capturing the day for all its worth in swimming hues
That carry me beyond the concrete
That my worn boots have befriended.

Listen closely, and you can hear the sound of two lovers kissing
Or the crisp flit of a page turn
Only to find out that your happiness lies somewhere in between this haven
And the bustle.

But even though the people here
May come and go like the billowing clouds above
Or the taxis on 5th avenue,
Comfort burrows its heart in the city’s core
And spreads its remains in the form of serenity
Right here.