City Lights, Coffee Shops
And Combat Boots
I miss the city lights,
the sidewalk vendors
selling street souvlaki and overpriced
souvenir caps near Rockefeller Center,
With you and me weaving through the crowds,
giving each other hungry glances, and longing for
That perfect coffee shop back home,
where everyone drinks lattes
and speaks fluent, broken Brooklynese.
I miss it all.
But then my world shifted.
An alternate existence
on a parallel planet.
News on every channel.
Home sweet home, the new normal.
The bacon burns, the coffee brews,
A neighbor, on guitar, plays Lean on Me
from the balcony that connects to mine.
The balcony overlooking powerlines
and traffic lights and patches of sun-drenched
memories and dreams
of stolen kisses under scarred moonlight.
And everyday, essential heroes
grapple with the truth
as they lace up their combat boots.
there is beauty in their strength,
strength in their resolve,
dedication in their resolution,
gratitude in my heart.
They are the helping hands
of humanity.
And the world speaks a new language
We together understand.
As I miss the city lights.
Connie Song 2020
