We came to New York in waves, in rivers. In droplets. In single spies we came, we came in battalions. We came from across a river. A mountain. A highway, a continent. We came across an ocean to New York. We came lured by the noise, by the speed. The chaos and the machine, cacophony and pneumatic pulses. We came, eyes wide, ears cocked. The possible futures winked at us. From across the Rubicon our dreams flirted with us, tipping their glass before downing a shot. We came to New York to hear the echoing promise to the whisper in our hearts: More. Here. Come. Welcome.
We left behind homes. Families who kept us and families who denied us. First loves. Last looks. Enduring memories wrapped carefully in newspaper. Tossed recklessly in knapsacks. We came to New York. We spun with the sound of it, we sang with the glow. We greeted strangers we knew better than our reflections. Found old friends from earlier drafts of our stories. We came to New York to find our people. We came for our people to find us. We came to take enough air in to our lungs to say, Here I am. I am here. And for that to be its own symphony.
We came to New York in waves and, with the tide, went home again. Swam back or swam elsewhere. We needed to come to New York to know that we could not stay. Such is the ocean, and such may we be. Not every place we land is home. But we linger, building castles we pray will not be washed away again. Maybe not this time. Maybe this one we can keep. We ask, Maybe here we can stay.
We became in New York. Who we always were. Who we hoped we’d be. Who we hadn’t thought of being. Not every dream lives as long as we, the immortal mortal droplets of hope and agony and strength. But each sleep promises more dreams, and we wake again tomorrow. And tomorrow. And
New York has a long memory. New York is constantly forgetting. Losing pieces to make way for new, an island for Theseus, but the echo of the tide remains, part of the tapestry of spinning sound. And water has the longest memory of all.
We came to New York. We breathe.
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INSTANT NOODLES 