Poem 1 – Just a Kid from Brooklyn

 

3 years at City Tech

Sure, it’s a small public school

Definitely not Harvard or Yale

But it’s college

Seeing the acceptance mail

It was one of

If not the biggest accomplishment in my life

For some it’s just another step in the American Experience

But people like me haven’t experienced this

And when I say people like me

I mean kids from the lower income sections of Brooklyn

The East Flatbushes and Brownsvilles all the hipsters seem to forget about

I mean the first-generation students

The ones that’ll have to navigate through this journey by themselves

I mean the children of immigrants

The ones that have to see their parents bust their asses for long hours to keep food on the table

Of course, there are still struggles

Sleepless nights

Anxiety

It’s never easy

And maybe I won’t actually work in the field I’m studying

But there’s something much more important at stake

I have hopes and dreams in my chosen field

That’s why I’m studying it

But what’s more important than the job or the diploma

Is showing everyone

That a shy, dorky kid from Brooklyn

Can put his mind on whatever he wants

And he can achieve it

No matter the odds

 

 

 

Poem 2 – Good Boy

 

I didn’t want him

Yeah, he was cute

Real tiny

But a dog is a huge responsibility

One that even though it was theirs

My young sisters weren’t going to undertake

I was going to have to walk him

Clean him

Pay for his expenses

But it was the girls’ birthday

And this was the best present they’ve ever gotten

I wasn’t going to say no

It didn’t take long to realize something

In the midst of the crisis of 2020

I had a companion

He was there to keep me sane

I didn’t think I’d get attached

I thought he was just going to be another responsibility

But I love the little rascal now

And he’s not perfect

He does lie around and does nothing most of the time

And he does require lots of clean up

But I can’t remember a time where he wasn’t in my life

Glad I have my good boy now

 

 

 

Poem 3 – The City is Sleeping

 

March 16, 2020

9:30 AM

 

It’s uneasy on the Q train this morning

On any Monday morning

It’s packed to the doors with people going to work

But when the governor began issuing orders to stay home

Only essential workers had to report to work

I guess that includes fast food employees

 

There are many wild views here in NYC

But nothing like seeing one of the busiest trains in the system

Maybe in the country

Completely empty

 

The view of the Brooklyn Bridge usually brings me peace

It’s my favorite spot in New York

But seeing it today worries me

This city is a different beast

Its New York!

I’d never thought I’d see New York like this

The City That Never Sleeps

Taking a nap

 

Not sure for how long this is going to last

Some say weeks

Other say months

Other say years

One thing is certain

The world won’t be the same again

 

 

 

Poem 4 – Best Laid Plans

 

In my head, I have everything planned out

I’m going to be a college graduate

Working in the entertainment business

Living in a beautiful brownstone in a nicer area of Brooklyn

I’ve always been one determined to reach my goals

But sometimes I think

What if it doesn’t happen?

I’m not a pessimist

But sometimes

No matter how much you work for it

You don’t get what you want

I’ve heard of countless stories of people working their butts off at work or school

And they don’t get the career or promotion they want

It’s kind of scary to think about

Because if I veer of my path

Then what?

Go to school again?

Stay at the same stagnant job for years?

Then what was it all for?

It’s a constant struggle in my head

I think what makes it scary is the fact that life itself is scary

Everyone has a plan for life

What they want to do or be

But you know what they say about best laid plans

But then, I remember

All my life has been full of uncertainty

Everything big and small in life is never guaranteed

Life itself is never guaranteed

What I can guarantee is making sure that I put everything I have into everything I do

Everything worthwhile is worth working for

So maybe life won’t turn out the way I envision it

But that’s always how it has been

And I think I’m alright now

So I say

Excitedly

And perhaps foolishly

Bring it on Life!