Worlds Within a World

This piece was inspired while I sat at a sidewalk cafe for an afternoon of people watching during a recent visit to NYC

Worlds Within a World

 

Asleep on the subway steps

With her tattered heart

And broken spirit

Token dish with a few carelessly tossed offerings

Who were you in the other world

Before you crashed and burned in this one?

 

Old man

Remnants of your hippie past

To which you cling so desperately

Tie-dyed dreams

Love bead longings

No longer relevant for anyone

But you

 

Funky chick

Plugged into your music

While the rest of the city

Hurries by

But you don’t care

It’s all about your own beat

 

Conference call chic

Couture concerns

With boardroom blues

Can you pencil in a moment from your

Agenda-filled life

Long enough to notice anyone else?

 

Honky tonk cowboy

With a guitar on your back

The concrete jungle

Seems a long way

From your home-on-the-range life

 

Ivy league wishes

With elitist strides

Textbook case

Of dissertation dilemma

And classroom confusion

 

They are us

And we are them

Each of us living in our own worlds

While trying to get by in this one

 

4/23/15

 

Reviews

[....................]

Rubie, what a wonderful observational piece you have written, giving us some insight into the melting pot of your city. I can visit a cafe in a nearby town of 18,000 people and see the same culturally diverse display unfold. The world is a wonderful place and we are blessed to be surrounded by such a mélange of personalities. I loved this very much.

[rubie]

Thank you, FT. Actually, NYC is not "my" city, but it's close enough to me that I can be there in an hour. Funny thing, though...I can only take the pulse of that city in small doses. But when I'm there, I am always inspired to write.

[....................]

I live in a tiny coastal community with seventy other souls and spending a day in a town with 2.500 can be overwhelming for me but like you, I often find inspiration where the melting pot is larger.

[~]

Rubie, you've picked quite an array of characters to describe people from different walks in life. What I think is great about this piece, is that it transcends to another place, another city, or even another country.

[rubie]

Thanks for your review. Yes, I was astounded at the diversity myself.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Your insight rattles me. I used to work in a mall on the east coast, and it amazed me at some of the sights I would see go by my store. You've penned this with such an array of characters, it simply boggles my mind how brilliantly clever it is!

[rubie]

Thank you for your kind words. Each of these descriptions was an actual person I saw pass by me as I was sitting in a sidewalk cafe in Manhattan. Quite an interesting parade of characters. I was amazed at the diversity.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

buying into the one is nearly impossible these days...what a commentary on reality of life in a city...the clash of classes---the end of the rose colored glasses...

superbly done...

j.

[rubie]

thank you for your review, jacob.