3rd avenue is closed to cars
The carotid artery of the city
Close enough you can see the waters of the Sound
the market and the great wheel
And while you can feel a sailors breeze
Salt and ion are not nostril close
For the artery which pumps blood
From the heart of the city to the brain
Is teaming with the wayward,
The mentally ill
Among the swift movers
And tourists
With cheap cigarettes
And the long involuntary wait between bathings
warm sweets
Cuffed joints
And bio-friendly bus fumes
And while assailing fragrant
The mix of decay and indulgence
Are signs of teaming life