You come out of the subway at
Lincoln Center
And you hear singing
And you realize it’s live
And there’s a quartet of acapella carolers
Singing gospel covers of Christmas tunes
Beneath trees adorned with strands of glowing lights
And even though it’s freezing
You sit in the middle of the street
In midtown Manhattan
To soak up their joyous singing
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But inside your heart’s delightful
Later in the restaurant
A little girl
Hair in pigtails with red and white bows
And a gorgeous pink and red party dress that is perfect for twirling
White stockings and black shiny shoes
She has made friends with the older couple at the next table
When they go to leave
She hops up
“Are you going now?! Byeeeee!”
Who said Manhattan is hard?
And you go to the opera
Which is always such a delicious treat
On the way home, a man is sleeping on cardboard next to the turnstiles
A rough woolen blanket wrapped tightly around him
How can all of this exist at once?