In the photo, on the train to New York City,
I'm dressed up in patent leather and crinoline.
My legs jiggle with excitement.
It's just me, my dad and his camera.
On 42nd Street, the Horn & Hardart
automat -- a gleaming stainless-
steel emporium with child-sized windows
that displayed sandwiches, soups,
apple and cherry pie slices.
Your father hands you the nickels,
which you slip into a slot to open the
door and release your dish.
I choose vanilla ice cream—my favorite—
a wish small enough to put into words.
Catherine Wald is a poet, teacher and tour guide based in a Manhattan apartment the size of her laptop. Poems have appeared in American Journal of Nursing, Chronogram, Gravel, J Journal, Minerva Rising, New York Times Metro Diary, Quarterday Review and Snapdragon Journal, among others. She has published a chapbook, Distant, burned-out stars, and a nonfiction book, The Resilient Writer.
No comments:
Post a Comment