5th Street

Grinning street, passing through

I carry off a piece of you

Everyday I hold it high

And through it see the passers-by

Carry you all over town

To lift the trees up from the ground

I take your charm,

And your harm,

Your homeliness,

Your loneliness,

Some of your pride, some of your shame,

Some of your buildings know my name;

Your rain to drink,

The limestone sink;

Your early morning orange-lit fog

And quiet man and hungry dog.

Your doors are open, the birds are fat,

The piece I carry tells me that.

All that I can hear

I carry by my ear.

But you never miss my steps,

The echoes I have left.

As I leave you, Sun still high,

So I leave you, grinning wide--

Nothing stirs inside your clench.

Happy strangers, an empty bench,

A seat that I will borrow,

Tomorrow.

Do you hear my love for you,

Grinning street, passing through?