Downtown Train #37

By: Yo, con fragmentos de Respiration de Blackstar ft. Common, Travellin’ Man de DJ Honda y Mos Def y We’re Already There de The Wallflowers.

Escúchela, la ciudad respirando.

Gracias, dear
for your hard edges, por tu cintura amplia
por el Downtown Train
your iridescent glow, your neon
tu halo, tu flama
tú, siempre luz
Gracias por el zumbar de tu lomo cansado
Gracias, querida
the dearest of all
Te hablo like this porque—
porque entendés.

NY; ballena gitana
tortuga marrón, coral, arrecife, enjambre,
rincón, cumbre, shelf,
mold and wind
window, parada, parade,
soplo solar of tragic uncertainty
of sensual possibility
of allure
NY; prehistoric, futuristic
perennial
NY; Atlantis rising
NY; tu, with your wide hips,
metallic serpents, slapping rivers,
hissing blowholes,
with your blues, azules, celestes, and blur
tranes and dukes and defs and harlem
can you imagine?, yo estar allá, aquí
can’t you see? nunca pensé que it could ever happen
eres pura energía sideral: ficción y staccato

September sed tibia, y arriba en el doughy sky
luna
luna llena

The new moon rode high in the crown of the metropolis
shinnin’, like who on top of this?
I’m the mercury rider, fancy collider
fang, swag, dusty rag, future and past, alas,
you, querida, are your bridges tired?
No, never
Nunca, jamás, you better go back, start bustin’ yo ass!

We New York the narcotic
strength in metal and fiber optics
azul y neón
you, island, hill and conundrum
enigma
Orion’s belt
phenomenon
colossus
the cost of living is preposterous

Pero a pesar
a pesar and despite
you woo
a pesar de lo gélido
you woo
despite competition
you woo
uneven light
chaos
soledad
and yet you woo

How could you not?
¿Cómo no?

Me diste cristales y blues
McCoy, Lee, Henry, Ajpú.
Me diste Cuba y Venezuela,
Rumania, Dublín y Warracknabeal.
Salsa y swing.
Rhythm and blues.
You and your wormtongue
me dieron a boiling pot de idiomas
y acentos
banderas, colores,
erres duras, suaves, sobadas, inexistentes, sutiles,
delicadas, autoritarias
y durante ese mingling
you also set my name aflame
todos mis nombres
spontaneous combustion
warmth.
You gave me the turnstiles and the guardrails,
Washington Square, the ghost-filled air. 

Me diste y ya,
ya, no más
here comes the ticking of these clocks
another chamber locks and I already withdrew
and
yet
you woo

Y es que ¡carajo! ¿Cómo no?

Te dejo mis suelas sobre Broadway,
Madison, Greenwich, Jackson Heights
dejo, te dejo my timber and my sultry breath
I leave you my patience and hope
I leave you mi despecho y melancolía
Te dejo my errands, my debts, my bargains, my ransom
Te dejo my scarcity
I leave you mi caridad, mis ofrendas
Te dejo my—
I leave you mi—
I leave you
Te dejo
I leave
I’m leaving (so go ‘head and leave)
Me voy

Gotta lotta things I got to do
But God willin’
But insh’Allah
I’m coming back to you

Porque soy barrio y neón
in equal measure
concrete and green
brown migrante
ojeras and drumming.
I’m leaving, querida
but truly I’m not.
Me voy endeudado
and I’ll return to pay
or create, regenerate.

NY;
familia, casa, vientre, shell, nest, electric wire, trapeze line, walkin’ bass, drum roll, wine, blue, ardor, noches blancas, gravely voices, Tom Waits, magic, innocence, catastrophe, huracán, refugio, cima, yonder, angst, quotidian and unpredictable, ascenso, chapoteo, elevación, rascacielos, ácido, e pesor, silv r, pi dra, h plesness, fait , s mb a, l z, cue , h lo, fan   ía, c   e, é   , m   n ria,   g   ,j   , molus o gi an e, IN     C Ó

I’m lea—
I’m
leaving,

ss
u.
T    y        ñ  .

But keep it to yourself.