And rain water caught in a broken beer bottle on the curb
Fast Cooking Ali fires up his grill, sending the heart-stopping aroma of bacon
and eggs out into the atmosphere
The smell draws comfort memories of a time when those foods were good for me
Strings of shimmery foil potato chip bags and cakes wrapped in cellophane
Adorn the sides of his truck like Christmas lights plugged into the rising sun
A few steps up River Street, the post office lobby echoes with Sinatra music as CNN
takes closed captioned second billing
The fountain at the foot of Pier A Park shoots for the sky
And my nostrils welcome the scent of warm well-hydrated grass
I sit down on a bench so self-conscious sparrows can play a game of tag with
my feet
And give me that sideways stare that says they hope I haven't come empty-handed
On the promenade along the river joggers, joggers, joggers and joggers
And dogs that don't come when they're called
Because they know they're about to be left home alone for another day
Their owners soon to be carried out of town on buses, trains and square white ferries
that bounce across the river leaving glimmering silver trails in their wakes
Over on Washington Street, mother gets ready to open up the Riviera Bakery while
daughter waits in school uniform
Nearby, the weary are already streaming out of Starbucks, Chock Full o' Nuts, Panera,
Landmark, Dunkin' Donuts and Bagel Express
Clutching their hopes in cardboard cups and waxed paper bags
While the future gets ready to filter into the Hudson School and Skateboard Park sleeps late
The Candle Shop, Battaglia's, Carlo's, Cosmo's, The Frozen Monkey and Luscious Paper
come to life
From the oldest to the latest, the shops begin capturing eyes and hypnotizing noses
Though some of the older establishments are content to keep their past lives secret
I peek through Schnackenberg's window at the perfectly preserved diorama
of Hoboken's earlier days
As I hug this town and whisper in its ear
"How I wish I had met you when we were younger"
Siobhán Barry-Bratcher, West New York
To submit your work for consideration for the Back Page, e-mail poet Christine Goodman at info@arthouseproductions.org. Each poem should be no longer than 40 lines. Please include "Back Page poem" in the subject line.
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