Aesthetic Realism Looks at New York City: Poetry
Ellen Reiss
Welcome Your Confusion as a Guest
Walk swiftly in the wet November day,
On the sidewalk that is pink from the sun,
Somewhere in New York.
Watch puddles tremble in the street
As the cars move over them.
You hold your jacket tight around you,--
It is soft and warm against your body
And the wind is cold across your cheeks.
Traffic lights glow green and red,
And the street lights are yellow.
And you walk slowly, slowly.
It has stopped raining and your head is bare.
Listen to your footsteps on the wet November sidewalk.
Watch the lights go on in buildings.
You tremble
Like puddles on the asphalt street.
You cry
Like the noise of traffic
Muted by the rain.From Definition, No.5 (New York: Definition Press,1961)