Ode to New York

By Jess Learson

When one sits atop the rooftops

high above the streets;

You almost forget the filth

lurking underneath.

The air has frosted over,

Hurts when you breathe in.

But I don't mind

I sit and sigh

As the sun lights this city of sin.

A man I knew so long ago

Laughed his pain away.

He said that life was one big joke

And sometimes I wish he stayed.

‘Cause one day when you’re laughing,

Someone will sneak by.

He didn’t know

Until he was thrown,

And fell to earth from high.

So take a look around

Our beautiful city of scum.

That pristine New York skyline

Will turn its people numb.

I gaze out over it all

And see the streets run red

But no one cares;

They just sit and stare

As their heroes bury the dead.

Artwork by April Li