Noisy New York

New York is noisy

we have to raise our voices

talking while we walk

through Monday night East Village.

The moon shines in slivers of a brown sky without stars

But the stores are full of sparkly costume jewellery

In Laura’s loft

even the floors tell stories,

each step a multitonal squeak .

There can be no secret movements in this place

Every trip to the bathroon is heralded by

the spongey floorboards

that bounce like a swingbridge

collecting my stories

to add to their anthology of travellers tales.