Rain Falls On Manhattan

I sit, perched on a green leather couch in Future Tan

Waiting for a friend to get her New York tan

Looking out at the circus that is Forty-Second Street / Times Square

Through a water-streaked window resembling a tear-stained face

Droplets pound the pavement, disturbing dirt and grime

Frantic people rush from buildings under cover of the New York Times

A man without an umbrella or raincoat tries to hail a cab

They rush past, fast, furious, never slowing, never stopping

It’s 6:20 p.m.

Street vendors scurry to close collapsible carts carrying soggy pretzels and hot dog buns

Don’t Walk signals rapidly flash bright red for danger

A man sprints across the street, dodging murky swamps of muddled rain

A careless few wander off the curb, waiting, oblivious to their mistake

A cab flies by, splashing dingy water on Armani suits

The assaulted recoil, cursing and screaming inaudible screams

Onlookers point, snickering and laughing inaudible laughs

The man without an umbrella or raincoat stands soaked, still trying to hail a cab

They continue to rush past, barely breaking as they cut the corner curbs

It’s 6:30 p.m.

My friend exits her tropical paradise, flushed and confused

The activity below us unfolding like a scene in a Broadway show

Together we watch the sky close its eyes and weep on Manhattan

~kfu