Skyline

The city feels different tonight,
No longer our city,
Our skyline,
Our Brooklyn Bridge.
People are shadows on the streets,
Faceless, passive figures walking slowly.

You left me in the morning and
The suddenness of it took the color from my sight,
The storefronts of Astoria went black.
Our time in your car in Rockaway,
The milkshake in the diner,
The drive back through Brooklyn,
All of it, over and done.

There are parts of the city I can't return to.
The West Village, the Lower East Side,
Especially East Harlem, where we
Walked through snow on Three Kings Day.
The people were faceless, then, because
We could only see each other.

You kept me awake until dawn
Just so you could show me the sunrise
Over Harlem,
Walked me home and tucked me in
So we could sleep 'til noon.
We danced that night in Brooklyn
In a crowded room that seemed so empty,
You inspired me to write after
You said you were falling in love.

I should have known it was too good to be true.
You walked out of my life as quickly as
You entered, left me reeling in your wake.

The city looks different tonight.
I see it with the eyes of one who has been
Left behind.
We had so much to explore,
Unseen streets, untasted food,
Things I wanted to share with you,
Pieces of my city.

The memory of you remains,
Your sensuality and passion.
You were everything I wanted and
I thought I was that for you.
The city is dark tonight,
But I know it won't be that way forever.
The lights and colors will return one day,
The faces of the people,
The flowers in bloom,
The smell of bagels and knishes.
Everything that reminds me of home,
Nothing that reminds me of you.

-GSS 2009