New York is the best city to cry in.

February 8, 2021 11:37 AM

A Poem I cried in Washington Square Park the other night / thinking about healthcare / and how I quit my job to write poetry, / and how even a job in poetry / prevents you from writing it.
posted by folklore724 (6 comments total)

Wow, I love this. Thanks for posting. So much greatness but in particular I loved:

There’s something productive / about crying in New York. / It’s almost like crying alone in your apartment / but you can cruise strangers / and run errands at the same time.

and

It might be like counting / the wars America’s been in / if I had to tell you / all the restaurants I’ve cried in.
posted by thebots at 12:43 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

This is really good. Thanks for posting it.
posted by joannemerriam at 1:16 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

I also loved this. It made me think how I also cried...a....lot....during my years in NYC but I could never have cried on the street and always made it back to my own apartment and maybe that's why I couldn't stay in NYC.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 2:17 PM on February 8, 2021

I would sooner have an eye plucked out than weep in public in NYC. When I see someone crying in public, I'm always agonized, because I want to help them if they want help but I don't want to add to their distress if they're already horrified that they're crying in public and just want not to be noticed.

This year I've drafted briefs on my couch while crying, though, and I think that's the COVID equivalent. There was just no one to see because I wasn't in the office.
posted by praemunire at 3:11 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

You're just another person crying on 10th Street.
Again.

- How is it possible for a poem to describe my entire life in NYC?
posted by theappleonatree at 7:41 PM on February 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

this is the beauty of new york city
that you can cry in public
and not be a burden
remind people who are feeling good
at least they're not you
remind people who are feeling bad
they are not alone

... from one who has cried all through Washington Square Park and down Broadway, in movie theaters, on the A train, tears all over this beautiful terrible place
posted by kokaku at 2:02 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]