How much do these Connecticut girls in dreams
think they're going to get from these
down-at-heel New York boys?

How far uphill do they have to go
to get enough to cover their pride
and ease their stumbling poise?

I know they yearn to cross the water
it takes a man who owns a boat -
or can rent one by the hour

And I heard the men are sure the women
there are all just one sail away from
joining them in their shower

But how many empty, shallow stories
does it take to make a whole city boring,
to live in perpetual disembodiment?

I think perhaps fewer than you'd think,
fewer than we make, is enough to keep us
fueling each other's disappointments

5/22/23