Urbane Print

​On the streets of avenues tonight, everything looks
Like it’s collapsing into an emerging pattern,
What I thought were supposed to be windows, streetlamps,
And gutters are all meeting together,
As part of a plot to replace their edges with streams
 
Clouds are stuck to windows, curbs run over the skyline,
The neon of restaurants and rooftops mingle
As if gossiping with the empty trees,
The traffic flows in and out of apartments, welcomed
By doormen and the lost shadows of pigeons and squirrels
 
A delicate crunch accompanies every step, the borough’s
Wrapping paper, it must be part of the present,
Who sent the gift to me? Who cares?
All I need to know is my obligation to give back,
Do I need to wrap myself up as an offering to the night?

Ben Nardolilli is a MFA candidate at Long Island University. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Door Is a Jar, The Delmarva Review, Red Fez, The Oklahoma Review, Quail Bell Magazine, and Slab. Follow his publishing journey at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com.

Image by Aaron Lau