Manhattan Nightcap

Why Wouldn’t You? _{(Credit: Thomas Hawk)}

Inspired by “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” by Alicia Keys

I never got the city of legends,
Too loud, too crowded, too dirty.
As a son of the east coast’s maligned little brother,
The waxing poetic on the empire city never struck home.

The city of a billion stories doesn’t resonate
Until you’ve tasted its magic.
The town of tall tales and taller icons,
It all seemed too otherworldly to be enjoyable.

The city works best as a transient paradise,
Home will always be my own town further south,
But the Greatest City in the World has its own gravitational pull,
Inspiring souls from far away to spend a few exceptional moments in its glory.

I didn’t get it until I spent that night with you.

I ascended to the sound of one of its many anthems,
Entered it’s gritty, tourist-choked arteries,
And found a little slice of paradise in a hotel room
Illuminated by the midnight lights of the Empire City.

Heaven’s lifespan expired on a crowded train platform,
When I kissed you for the last time.
Your home was within reach of the center of the universe,
But I couldn’t have stayed even had you wanted me to.

Where I was once blasé, now takes my breath away.
A forever fascination with its history and lost icons,
Disdainful of the rats and the rat race,
But content to buy the illusion for a day or two.

Crossing the city’s limits is prologue to every great story,
And the sincere optimism of a temporary traveler
Nourishes the idea that anything is possible takes hold.

My favorite Manhattan nightcap was a nondescript hotel room,
With the city’s shimmering skyline far from view.
To love the city is to love its magic 
All I needed to be introduced to it was a sip of you.