Archive for the ‘New York City’ category

New York Nonplussed Minutes

November 14, 2012

20121114-075725.jpg

New York Nonplussed Minutes

I am feeling, I confess, low–
when sirens squeal
conspicuously close, just below,
in fact, my window, and firemen rush
into my building, strides big=booted, black
backs horizoned
by yellow tape, and, as more sirens squeal/sigh
near, more firemen follow
(fore-armed with
folds of hose), and

my spirits, dear reader, somehow
lift, particularly as I look down to other
tenants not-scurrying through the self-
same doors, but simply side-
stepping boot-cuffs, trucks, some
walking dogs.

But being not nearly as irresponsible as
you might assume, you who may not
know the hard smushed bite of this big
Apple, I peer down
the smokeless desolation
of my hall, sniff what might be the slightest halo
of burned rubber or simply
my baking yams, watch,
with increasing cheer, firemen
drifting back into the night, lugging unsullied
hook, hose, sled, as other other-tenants, with
dogs and without, continue
to filter past, till I go poke, at last,
those potatoes, testing
for sweetness.

*******************************************

Yes, I’m trying to scribble a November novel, but last night major non-fire seemed to happen in my building.  No noticeable smoke or flames but tons of terrific firemen and three or four trucks.  I am linking this to With Real Toads, Kerry O’Connor’s challenge re addressing the reader.

More Pix – New York Being New York-Crane Still Dangling on 57th Street

October 31, 2012

20121031-115212.jpg

20121031-115238.jpg

20121031-115516.jpg

20121031-115530.jpg

20121031-115539.jpg

 

 

Above pictures are from my walk/busride home from work quite late last night.  The tall building has a large crane which came loose in the storm and has been dangling over 57th Street, still night secured.  The buses had started and were free, but crowded.  The City seems very bright this morning though and limited subway service is starting.  Still no power downtown. I’ve not been home and am running out of clothes!  A minor irritation, but an irritation!

Some (Minor) Pix of NYC after Sandy

October 31, 2012

20121031-081403.jpg

20121031-081422.jpg

20121031-081436.jpg

20121031-081450.jpg

20121031-081501.jpg

20121031-081647.jpg

Here are a few very minor pictures of damage and traffic.  I haven’t honestly been down to worst affected areas yet (which include where my apartment is located).   Getting around the City was quite difficult today as there has been tremendous traffic.  A lot of that has been caused by the dangling crane on the roof of a very high building on 57th Street.  Basically this means that everything going up to 57th is somewhat gridlocked and everything going down to 57th is blocked – but if you are going downtown below 57th (as in the right hand side of the picture above) you are okay.  More or less.  (Of course, I understand that there are no traffic lights below 39th.)

New Yorkers are great walkers but it’s a bit tiring.  Tomorrow some subway service will be restored. I have to applaud Mayor Bloomberg and city workers (and others) who have been out picking up tree limbs, etc. and moving ahead with the clean-up.

Sandy – Uptown New York (Update)

October 29, 2012

20121029-011745.jpg

I hesitate in the middle of a big storm to mention clouds, much less silver linings.

But, as some limited compensation, these terrible situations can bring out the “friendly” in people.

Often in New York City, casual acquaintances (meaning the people you live near for years) nod (at most).  But yesterday, in Battery Park City (an evacuation zone), everyone in my laundry room, on the esplanade, or waiting interminably for the elevators, actually talked.  The big topic  – whether or not they were leaving.

If they were leaving, they talked of a friend somewhere;  if they were not leaving, they talked about how difficult it had been last year (during Irene) staying with a friend somewhere.

Dogs seemed to be a particular problem at friend’s apartments during hurricanes.

One guy (who was not leaving) explained that the brick he carried into the elevator was to be put in his water-filled bathtub.   (I never quite understood what the brick was supposed to do, but I did learn exactly which building site to go to to get my own.)

I personally had very mixed feelings about leaving.  Our building–as many stayers pointed out–is concrete.  Additionally, I’d bought a ton of food.  (Bottled water, I was to learn later, is extremely heavy.)

That said, if you wanted to leave by subway, you had to get out before 7.

So now, I am up  in Harlem (a far higher area of the City).   And people have been super kind – helping us unwedge the suitcase (with all those bottles) from the subway stairs, retrieving my necklace (from the subway platform) when my own unwedging efforts caused it to fall off.

And, although, I know there are difficult things going on – flooding down in BPC and a horrible crane dangling on 56th street–it’s been calm enough here that we could, at one point this morning, walk over to a nearby community garden, taking wet garbage for its composting operation.

Soil, I guess, goes on.

(Regardless of Sandy.)

PS – I was a bit irritated waking up this morning that we’d left BPC – the weather had been so calm at that point- but then I read about the flooding and, in the end, I really do urge people to listen to the authorities.  Terrible to make the lives of first responders worse in an already difficult situation.  That said, I know I’m super lucky to have a place to go, warm, dry, and with people I love (who compost.)  Good luck to all.

8 Mississippi!

October 24, 2012

“Eight Mississippi” From 1 MISSISSIPPI by Karin Gustafson

A day dealing with decisions has left me with little oomph for a new poem or political post, so I turn to…. MARKETING!

Above is a picture from my counting book 1 Mississippi.  If you like counting, elephants and rather watery watercolors, it may just be up your alley (or it might work for a small child you know.)

Or, if you feel like you already know how to count will enough, you may prefer Nose Dive, a very fun young adult book that features NYC, high school, Broadway musicals, phone sex (don’t worry!), and a generational discomfiture with Barbara Streisand.  (By Karin Gustafson, illustrated by Jonathan Segal.)

From NOSE DIVE – by Karin Gustafson, illustrated by Jonathan Segal

Or GOING ON SOMEWHERE, (by Karin Gustafson, illustrated by Diana Barco.)  Poetry, primarily formal poetry (sonnets, villanelles, pantoums.) 

All the books are published by BackStroke Books (my own imprint.) 

Thanks for your indulgence and support. 

Fear and Loathing on the Number 4

September 30, 2012

Boy on Number 4 Train

“The people here
are f—ing animals,” says hard-
creased mom to youngish son
as they slip between
double rubber, closing doors.

The boy, buzz-cut (mom holding Yankees cap), edges
uneasily through the crush
towards center pole–

Mom hooks him
before he can latch on–“These people push you,”
she snarls,
“I’ll push ‘em back.”

I try to angle smile that only boy
will see (so that the mom
won’t slug me), but boy
turns face to door where, nothing
to hold, he lists with the tight
lurches
till mom’s boa arm heavily
steadies.

Then, even as train
smooths, even as she
releases, he bangs
his head against the dark glass—-

The bangs are soft below the train’s
clatter–
now again–but
definite–now
again–eyes lowered–

Mom’s harsh lines
limp; she spans one hand
to his forehead as if
to take the hits herself–
now again–

In the jumble of next,
seat empties – I point it out–
boy sits; she smiles at me,
sort of.

Then each of us consciously
looks neither at the other or
the boy,
peering instead
through the translucence of
train fug–the rumple of so many–

***********************************

I am posting the above – a re-write- very belatedly for dVerse Poets Pub’s Poetics prompt about people watching hosted by the very good people-watcher Brian Miller.  

Monday Morning – Site of Sore “Eyes?”

September 24, 2012

20120924-085430.jpg

Good taste forbids me to title this post “Booby-trapped” or any variation thereof.

(Photo is of Louise Bourgeois’ “Eyes” sculpture in Wagner Park, NYC, for some reason cordoned off today. A long weekend perhaps, and a lot of damp below.)

More Views From NYC (9/11/12 Evening Downtown)

September 12, 2012

20120912-013307.jpg

20120912-013335.jpg

20120912-013410.jpg

A Misunderstanding At the Voting Booth? Oh, wait, is this a Gun Show? Hmmm… Friday Flash 55

August 24, 2012

Misunderstanding

No Driver’s License?  Can’t let you step into that booth.

Sure, you’re registered, but no Drivee, no Votee.   See, where it says–right on that–err…

Vision impairment?

Wait – you came in here to buy firearms?

Geez, sorry, ma-am, right this way; no, this way.  And just, huh, watch where you’re pointing that thing.

******************************************

The above is exactly (minus title) 55 words so do tell it to the wonderful G-Man

I must note an inaccuracy in my 55 – most of the new voter I.D. laws do not require a driver’s license, but they do require that a voter have a government-issued photo I.D. (They will not accept a student I.D. or other non=government photo I.D.s, or a non-photo government I.D. such as a social security card or a birth certificate.)  No one, even those promoting the laws, appears to have documented a significant instance of voter fraud, in the sense of ineligible persons voting.  (The places, it seems to me, where questions of fraud have been raised have been in the counting and certifying as in Florida 2000.) 

I admit also that most states also do require some form of government-issued ID for the regular purchase of a firearm.  There appears to be a pretty large “gun show loophole” to most gun laws, however, that allows for sales of guns with extremely little (or no) regulation. 

Speaking of guns, my deepest sympathies to all the victims of the shootings in my dear New York City today.  

Prettyscape

August 17, 2012

20120817-112600.jpg