If It Was New York, Summer 2009

By Terri Deno

If It Was New York, Summer 2009 tells a story that is both real and imagined, taking steps into a world that could have been, a world that is full of adventure, celebrations, setbacks, and a sense of belonging. Containing more than 100 poems, this collection works to explore the question: what if?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terri Deno
• Release date: Mar 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386718963

Book preview

Also by Terri Deno:

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Seeing What Develops

Unfolding Life: A Book of Haiku

If It Was New York, Summer 2009

One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.

- Thomas Wolfe

Messenger Bag

Why is it that we all want to have it all?

We can't carry all of that junk around anymore

But that's life, if we must be honest.

The poorer we are, the more we cling.

You want to live life out of a single bag,

But that's a pipe dream for the well-off, isn't it?

Something that you must have a line of credit for

A backup plan, things that you cannot fold neatly inside.

But here you are, bag in hand.

There's no backup plan, probably no second chance.

Someone has to know you to believe in you,

And this bag isn't that familiar with you yet.

Some clothes, because naked should be a feeling, not a state of being.

That pretty little plastic, a lifeline that falls just short of your potential.

The smallest of trinkets and memories, because you're not totally heartless yet.

A book to get you through, another to calm your nerves.

Nothing of consequence—everything for the beginning.

If It Was New York, Summer 2009

If it was New York, summer 2009

It would be here, standing just after sunrise

In the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge

Dodging the others who can't find sound slumber

Or maybe they never had any intention to begin with

Hours within a new life

Still getting used to the feel of all the seams

Where they pucker, where they itch

Trying not let the panic sit in

When I realize I'm already too late

And I could have been more

If only I had been more insistent

This is who I am

I am a significant part of the whole

And like my hair color

Like the reflections in my eyes

I couldn't—I shouldn't—let that be taken from me

More than halfway across, I'm attuned

The vibrations in my core

The city speaking to me and the response

Spills from my eyes, all I can manage

Another ounce dropped in the water below

Someone's dream beginning to take shape

Mine or yours—we'll soon discover

Apartment Listings

Two female students looking for a quiet roommate for large bedroom in a 3-bedroom apt. – bedroom has private bath, but you will not have access to it as we are using it to toilet train our cat.

Wanted: roommate for two-bedroom apt. – I work from home and need the living room to work with my clients, so you must have a job and a life outside of the apartment from 6AM - midnight.

Small bedroom available – great price for someone who is out a lot. Price does not include kitchen privileges.

Available now – small closet converted into bedroom. Fully furnished.

Great apartment, excellent location! – access to the nearest subways (1,B,C) and located in the middle of a vibrant neighborhood. You will be renting an 6x8 space in the living room, cordoned off with curtains for your privacy. We use the space for entertaining regularly, so no one with an early bedtime.

City Walking

It's a wonder you've survived this long—

Sinking into old ways, taking in the sights

One crack in the concrete at a time

Step forward, step again

Traffic signals strike fear in you still

You aren't cool enough to cross alone

There's a way to complement the rhythm

The buzz and beat of the blood flow

Your accompaniment doesn't crash the symphony

And the neck strains to straighten

The eyes flicker up and back down

The eyes flicker again, staring ahead

Paces quicken, maybe the morning rush is over

Heart beats faster, but fear is sweating off your skin

You are done being afraid of your destiny

Brooklyn Bedsit

A room, nothing more

A bed frame, a little wobbly

Your bag sitting in the corner

You, getting a taste of a wish

There's nothing better than this

Roughing it in the concrete jungle

A cheap set of sheets will settle

All of your worries and cares

You don't mind the lock is broken

The neon light outside your window

Only flashes its heartbeat for you

It's a trope, but it's your trope to play out

There are big things coming

A place to sleep, that's all you need.

History of a Transplant

Translucent, white and naked

Still clinging to clods of soil

Uprooted from one where you ceased to grow

Into one where the expanse is wider

But you still have to watch for that balance

Water, nutrients, sun—not always easy to find in a new place

Once your roots settle in

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