Federal budget says it is closed
on this winter morning from low Manhattan
she appears distant
a vast span of water
separates her and me
the coin operated telescope
wets my appetite
crushes my hope
US- 5 Wall Street
Funny the Americans are
observing traffic lights
in these lane wide streets
covered by icy mud
the high-rises are beautiful
looked from afar
inside, it is narrow and crowded
devoid of the open space
of Texas
yet they get media coverage
almost everyday
I ask the tour guide
where the gift from Jiang Zemin
is put
in the back garden
is the answer
as we go on
I cast an eye
out of a window
there stands it
against dirty snow
an insignificant object
dwarfed by high-rises
In New York
You gotta learn
Not to speak English
Facing me in the train
A white sandwiched by
Two blacks and one yellow
A good demographic footnote