West 85th & West End by Carolynn Kingyens

Every day a new page turns
high above the beanstalk;
above the disco-ball-moon
and fog-machine clouds,
where an unamused angel
finger-flicks an arrow
affixed to a wheel,
spinning indefinitely,
an eternity.

Down here, I knock
on my neighbor’s door
in search of time –
not egg, flour, or a cup
of hourglass sugar
for my invisible cake.

It’s no coincidence
we dash to markets,
clearing shelves
of bread first –
hunker down
when the storm comes;
when the storm
is christened a name –
Lilly, Olive, Coltrane –
the name of my daughter’s
first grade friend,
whose father works
at the U.N.;
trilingual, plays chess
like an old man.

Trouble is a loose brick,
fifteen floors up, at the co-op
on W 85th & West End,
where an inviting bench awaits

impending doom.

Carolynn Kingyens was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia. Today, she lives in New York City with her husband and their two kind, funny, creative daughters. Carolynn has a forthcoming book of poetry, Before the Big Bang Makes a Sound, scheduled to be released May/June 2020.