Shadows of Skyscrapers

An observation of the way people live in New York City.

I slipped from the crowd into an alley next to Fremont

The darkness of the alley reminded me of night

Hidden in the shadows of the skyscrapers

A man was sitting on the pavement staring

 

I turned back to the crowds of the street

They pushed themselves forward

to their jobs or to their home

Up ten sets of stairs,

down the hall and to the left

 

"That's not a skyscraper," a man told me

it was the day before

"I'm from Maine," I responded.

The man nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

I waited for my moment to step back into the crowd.

This is the Boston of foot traffic, I thought

I pushed myself back onto the sidewalk.

I caught a glimpse of the man in the alley.

He smiled at me.

Author's Note

Let me know what you think.

Any feedback is great.
I even like the two word ones.
Thank you!

Reviews

[Giulia King]

I'm glad I found you Aaron :) I live in NYC and I loved reading your observation. I just hope you didn't find the people being rude to you.

[headoverheart]

a story in a poem, you wrote it well and although i can't quite put a finger as to what the message is all about (aside from the obvious), i can feel that there is suppose to be representations?

[Star Wolf]

Reading this I felt like I was getting a real insight to your experience and what you were trying to bring across. I really enjoyed your poem/work here.

[Aaron]

Thank you!

[A love for poetry]

That was interesting. It was kind of like; a person that stopped for a moment; a pause in time, where the concentration became the man, who could have also been a symbol of some sort... But it did make me stop and think; it was a little abstract for me, felt like a shift, of parallel dimensions.

Very interesting.

[Aaron]

Alright. Thank you!

[Flo_writer]

I myself have never been to the big apple but I can relate this to every new York scene I've ever seen in a movie. Seems to me you hit the nail on the head. I imagine the stranger as a homeless individual for some reason. Don't really know why. I don't really have much feedback for you on this one except to say it was very visual for me and it was easy for me to see and feel everything going on in this poem. Nice work.

[Aaron]

Thank you.

[Sirius King]

it felt like
you took the reader
on the walk with you

nice one

[Aaron]

Thank you.

[no sun]

Great observation and a great poem. You should submit it to a NY magazine. Brillant write Aaron!

[Aaron]

You flatter me. I really appreciate you saying that.
Thank you.

[emmajoy]

There's almost a feeling of deja vu or maybe a look into the future.. just don't know, there's something there. Whatever, there's a special feel, a mysterious going back and forth, shaRing something in the shadows with that man, he didnt scare you or vice or versa, in fact you saw, perhaps recognised him - if only an imagined moment. (Sorry my review was a mess, corrected it.)

[Aaron]

Thanks for commenting! I know what you mean.

[Paul Grimsley]

I liked the vibe of this piece - it rolled along very easily; a good rhythm; and as was mentioned below by someone else, it made me think about walking through New York streets ... must be something that links those city experiences.

[Aaron]

I'm glad that I could connect with that.

Thanks for commenting!

[Mic]

Fun read. Reminded me of Alanis Morissette lyrics, most notably the third stanza. Random observation, written almost as an outline for a short story. The thoughts of that guy always standing and looking...

I like it!

[Aaron]

Thank you!