Tamara mentioned a beach

nobody heard about,

abandoned sliver of white sand

former military base, vacant and grand

a Manhattan castle -

hard to believe it still stands

in this city of fat ghosts

city we enter through the back door

reaching for its sugary side

as dish washers, cat sitters, massage givers

leave the keys as you go

so

we rolled up blankets

on the backs of our bikes

packed bread and mustard

walked about a mile

past the queer volleyball scene

past the kiosk with frozen pineapple drinks

past the Russian grandmas from Brighton beach

we saw our torsos’ skin for the first time

in natural light

surprised by how white

it is

Layla went for a swim

in her blue swimsuit

but came back fast

her raven hair dry

just a few drops on her ankles

Rip current, she said

Yeah, I nodded, and we shared a sandwich

Alex found an old newspaper

we read the horoscopes

laughing our hearts out 

eavesdropping on our future.

Sunburnt

Manhattan loomed in the backdrop

like an emptied cooler -

and suddenly

it felt like home