Breathe

Walk me out beyond
the boundaries of
brownstones and
townhouses and
fire escape alleyways

Away from the
raucous of
inebriated fireworks,
jaw-shaking sirens,
dumpster lids crashing
at dawn to the tempo
of the shopping cart
peddler’s janky wheel
before garbage trucks
lay waste to salvageable
meals

Abandon
flooded sidewalks
and pot-holed
concrete slabs
and walk instead
upon the surface
that gives way to
your weight,
only so slightly,
to remind you
that it exhales
the air you
breathe.