i still can’t get over
how much this city,
though so different
from my concrete jungle,
can remind me so much
of home

from the pigeons
and mourning doves
and stray cats
everywhere

to the instances of
so many different
languages being spoken
and written down

to its walkability
and metro system,
even the tourist traps
are cute reminders
of my home’s downtown

[feeling at home
even in a foreign city —
the story of new yorkers abroad]