An unexpectedly delightful afternoon
After a cold and drizzly morning
The sky is blue and 
The air is warm 
You wander through Chinatown 
Past the Buddhist temples 
And the restaurants with their 
Steamed buns 
And roasted ducks hanging in the windows 
Past the high end stores on the main road
And in to the back streets 
Crowded with a myriad of knick knack stores 
Overflowing with Buddhas,
Laughing, lounging, and serene
Crystal balls 
Wooden fans 
And all kinds of novelty chopstick holders 
You see a bonsai tree with leaves of jade and
Remember Abuela. 
You think about the confluence of 
Cultures and stories and influences
That bought you here. 

Oh that I am the luckiest 
To work on Broadway in the early afternoon
And then, later, to go to a beautiful space 
On the East Side 
For a talk with Alex Lacamoire
And learn about Broadway pits 
And programming keyboards
And being a sub musician
And feeling inspired you start heading home
But you linger a little
Because it is a truly gorgeous 
Balmy spring day 
And you don't really want to go home 
And suddenly
Your dear friend calls from Lincoln Center
"I got you a free ticket!"
And you hustle as fast as you can
And the train gods are blessedly with you -
Even when you accidentally hop on the wrong train
(Uptown E = Queens, not Manhattan!) 
And you get to see Uncle Vanya
In a new adaptation by Heidi Schreck
​(she is a genius) 
With a killer cast 
And it is moving and funny and devastating 
“I just want to be an ordinary sinner and eat noodles!” 
And you wander home 
And you think
It really is the greatest city

To walk through the park
And come across
A magical being
Sparkling silver in the sunlight
With greenery growing from his gigantic antlers
And colorful butterflies sitting aloft

I’d heard it was good
But I didn’t expect this
The truly glorious music
The astonishing performances
The way it cracked something open inside of me
Watching the adult-self signing with his childhood self
The thrill of the step dance
The horror of abuse
The re-living and processing of trauma
The power of art
To shake you apart
And then fill the cracks with golden light
“Sometimes you just have to leave it all behind
And leave it in the road”
"Just three simple words
I love you."

​Sitting in Bryant Park
On a beautiful spring day
A brass band is playing in the background
You go to see who they are
And discover a joyous brass quintet
Whose schtick is to dance energetically
While playing pop tunes like
YMCA and Summer Lovin’ and the best Spice Girls/Backstreet Boys mashup you never knew you needed played by a brass band
The gathered crowd bop and sway and clap and laugh
Even the security guard behind the fence is grooving along
You marvel at the trombone player
Who can do crunches while playing full out
The joy of music
The joy of dance
And later
May Day dinner between shows
Fried chicken, creamy mashed potatoes
And garlicky toasted bread
Lemonade and sweet iced tea
A celebration

The joy of archival research
Handling letters sent 100 years ago
The crumbling paper
Making historic confetti

When it's suddenly 85F/29C
After weeks of cooler temps 
And you take walk through the North Woods of 
Central Park 
Following the lake and the little river 
Spotting waterfalls
And fairy dens 
People out bird watching 
Picnicking and sun bathing 
Running and walking 
Strolling and sauntering 
Lounging and eating 
​It's extraordinary to think
It was all made by human hands. 

It was warm enough to not need a jacket
It felt like I'd forgotten something 
The luck of an express train
Time to saunter through midtown
In the alley between 48th and 49th 
Paparazzi Dog and Rabbitgirl
Whimsy and delight and 
Socio-political statement 
On the way home 
Walking through the park
Instead of around it
Finding the fish store open 
Steamed tilapia in a garlicky sauce 
Paired with steamed broccoli 
Mashed potatoes and peas and 
At the end of the day
When the sun had set
​And the chill had crept back into the air
Sitting in bed 
With a hot cup of tea

At the end of a tiring work day
I took a walk
South, about
Forty-ish blocks
And found myself in the North Woods of 
Central Park 
The sky was blue
The air was chilly
But the sun was warm 
The apple trees were in blossom
The bluebells and the lupines and tulips 
Were all out on display 
The brown stems of the trees have begun sprouting leaves of green
I pinched myself to think
I now live within walking distance
Of this historic oasis

The privilege of singing in the chorus
With a full orchestra
Performing Ricky Ian Gordon’s stunning score
What would Steinbeck have made of all of this?
Or the people that he met
And immortalized in print
The stories of struggle
Of wanting something better
The desire to feed your family
The desire to just get by
Without forces and foes
Pushing you out
Forcing you down
Nearly a century later
Playing out on a fancy stage
Thankful thankful to be a part 
Thankful for Ralph, Susannah, David, Katherine, Jez, and Margo
Members of my chosen fam'bly 
For bearing witness.