chocolate cream coffee and parfait for breakfast
taking the train all the way to coney island
riding the cyclone!
being the only ones riding the dodgem cars
Phoebe winning a care bear!
the surprising terror of the ferris wheel
feeling hot sand beneath my feet
feeling the chill of the atlantic ocean
fish and chips for lunch
standing on the pier
and feeling the bite of the breeze
off the ocean

medieval art in manhattan
how strange that I’ve now been to the monasteries
where the art is from
or at least walked past them

the beautiful gardens
the cool stone
the quince tree sprouting fruit
the heavenly scented roses and the bell shaped floxgloves
evidence of fairy revels

the guggenheim in the morning
the way art can uplift and inspire and excite
make us see the world in new ways
help us to see the poetry in the every day

there was an activity in the reading room
looms with purple yarn
and baskets of words cut out from magazines
“weaving words” was the conceit
found poetry
it all made me want to get out the craft box again

gego and sze
germany and venezuela and the usa
form and shape and light
picasso and guagin and degas
spain and france
form and shape and light

a year with children
class projects
with tiles and capes and pillows,
brightly colored self portraits
and letters from NYC to Bilbao and back again
oh the joy of art and the way it can
uplift and inspire and excite

back to queens for a bbq
kids whirling on the hammock
playing pirates
bubbles blowing through the air
and little Fletcher
four months old
intently absorbing the chaos
not wanting to miss anything and then
falling asleep on my chest

at the last minute a trip to dumbo
walking along the waterfront
an amazing “treat yo’self” kind of dinner at cecconi’s
whipped ricotta with truffle honey!
agnolotti del plin in butter and sage!
lamb ragu with artichokes!
roast potatoes (that were particularly heavenly with the whipped ricotta)!
flavors and ambiance and savoring every mouthful
and then walking back along with the waterfront
with scoops of ice cream in waffle cones.

heaven is drinking from a fresh coconut at
smorgasburg in prospect park
filipino lemongrass chicken skewers and
corn on the cob slathered in mayo and cheese and salt and
guava maple lemonade

then running around the doggy park with
my little floof and
snuggling on the couch
and hearing his contented sigh.

take me out to the ballgame
eat fries and chicken tenders in a bowl bigger than your head
cheer the runs
celebrate the outs
soak in the atmosphere of the
great all-american game
on a beautiful blue sky day
in the bronx

​Seeing world-class historic art
At the Met is truly astonishing
But sometimes all you need
On a bright blue sky day
Is a patch of grass
On the outskirts of Central Park
With a sandwich in your belly
And people walking by
And the hum of music from a busker down the way
To feel utterly content.

From the Friends Experience
To the 9/11 Memorial
With Katz’s Deli and Levain in between
and the Friends building and Cornelia Street
and Washington Square Park
And dinner at an Australian-themed restaurant in Astoria

The silly and whimsical and delightful and fun
The delicious and surprising
The devastating and heartbreaking
The nostalgia and memory
The new

​New York. 

Central park was in fine leafy green form
Bethesda Fountain
Looking radiant against a bright blue sky
An extended family of turtles
Paddling through the water in the lake just beyond

At the Alice in Wonderland statue
A grown man pretending to eat one of the mushrooms
His friend has an Alice in Wonderland themed t-shirt
With teacups and Mad Hatters and tumbling Alices
And he filmed her speaking to the camera in Portuguese
Lewis Carroll/Alice/Central Park

Both the Met and the Guggenheim were closed
But we ended up at Rockefeller
Ascended to the 70th floor
The views!
Oh New York, you are just breath taking

The last time I was up here
It was nearly 15 years ago
Before Aaron
Before cancer
Before immigration
With Kris
Before The breakup

And now, seeing the same view
Fifteen years later
Having lived on both sides of the island
And south of it
And been through
All of That
And having decided that I want to become a US citizen
It all just hits differently

And we had lunch at the Lexington Candy Story Luncheonette
And we had coffee at Little Collins where I became best friends with a 10month old whose mama was enjoying some pancakes
And we walked by Bryant Park
The little girl on the carousel! Marvelous!
And snuck into the Rose Reading Room

And then a Broadway show
& Juliet
Just delightful and heartwarming and exciting and fun
And dollar slice in the rain

And falling into bed
After another exhilarating and exhausting day

I arrived at the airport
And saw a family reuniting
It was a real life Love Actually moment
Watching them reunite
Hugging and crying
All that emotion
I’ve missed you, my kin
And suddenly my little baby sister was here
We had breakfast in Astoria Park
And then walked nearly the entire High Line
Before jumping off to visit Little Island
Then walking all the way down to Battery Park
And at the last minute hopping a ferry to Ellis Island
We walked over 12 miles (according to my phone)
And treated ourselves to a very well-earned burger and fries and milkshake
Before coming home and collapsing in a screaming heap
What a treat to play tourist in your own town
What a treat to have that town be New York City
What a treat to be here

the satisfaction of doing laundry
the smell of clean sheets
the softness of a new duvet
of making the bed in preparation for my sister’s arrival tomorrow.

one more sleep!