January 2002
Spotlight: New York City
Roof Perspective
by Carly Sachs
Touring Italy Through New York City
by Kenny Klein
Take a Bite Out of the Big Apple
by Catherine Skrzypinski
Touring
New York City Free
by Jodi Jill
New
York City: a photojournal
by Michael Goldberg
January 2002—Spotlight: New York City
Roof
Perspective
by Carly Sachs
Morning
Afternoon
I think
one day I will name the buildings,
come to know their lines, their music.
From here I will be the first to recognize the clouds,
call out their shapes.
Night
The
sky around the Empire State Building
is the color of black boards clouded over,
too much chalk. There are too many windows,
too many peoples' lives to walk into.
Counting the starts is simple math—
I get eight using two hands. I know the moon
is out tonight, but I can't see beyond brick, building
fences.
This is my yard, flat-stomached roof with tiny pockets
of puddles, the hum of cooling systems and sirens.
Ghosts of concrete sit in the shadows,
ask me to rub their shoulders.
One building over a man is falling asleep with his
television.
Other poems by Carly Sachs:
• A Poem That's Not About Eating
• Thanksgiving in Ponte Vedra, Spotlight Love on the Road, February 2002
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