Awaking in New York
Curtains forcing their will
against the wind,
children sleep,
exchanging dreams with
seraphim. The city
drags itself awake on
subway straps; and
I, an alarm, awake as a
rumor of war,
lie stretching into dawn,
unasked and unheeded.
.
Maya Angelou, 1928-2014
“Awaking in New York” from Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing?
© 1983 by Maya Angelou
Photo by Ethan Hoover on Unsplash
