New York

August 17, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

hike the paths deep into the woods
[after you’ve exited deep out of the parking lot]
and come upon a little village
always here
but only open part-time
of historical and fantastical
and magical and mystical
and sometimes [often] a bit [a lot] silly

the New York Renaissance Faire

there are countless [though i’m sure they’ve all been counted]
shops
and eateries
and stages
and shows
all boasting this as their home
[even if it only lasts from mid-august to
the very tip of october]

a beautiful place
an overwhelming event
a wonderful community
and a time to be had

by all
who want it
by all
who need it
by all

July 19, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

the only thing i looked up
in terms of the world cup
was what day it
ends

that’s today!
that’s today!

i won’t have to deal with my
city, my
commute, my
life
being interrupted
anymore
after today

[and i made sure today was a day
i stayed the fuck at home anyway]

good riddance to these hassles

and good riddance to the idea
that people would come into this country
as it slides down its slippery slope to abject fascism

i hope it was boycotted to the point of abject failure

[i sure know i’d never pay $93 to take a bus to jersey]

*side note: at least those who did travel, met american citizens in these cities
who showed our allegiance is not with the current administration,
and perhaps world relations are bettering in some ways

which i suppose is part of the point of the world cup

ugh…

May 4, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

kip
going out
doing things
meeting for dinners and
going to networking events
in the city

and me
going out
doing things
running friends around and
socializing and working outside of the house
going into [and out of] the city

we’re acting like
a couple of new yorkers!

[it only took the looming threat
of a move
and/or unemployment
to get us here]

February 22, 2026

/ HJ / Leave a comment

the coffee
is spicy
today

[and by spicy
i mean strong
pretty
darn
strong]

and we actually went out
last night
[though not to “night life”
but to a show
an important show
a beautiful show]

and spoke
with friends old and new
afterwards

it was lovely
but now it’s morning
and i have things i have to do

[and kip has sleep
they never
get]

so i’m drinking this
spicy/strong coffee
to try to just get up and go and do

[and it just started snowing
i hate the cold, but
it’s beautiful]

July 13, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

i never, ever thought i would identify
so strongly with a place

but my heart
leaps
at being called “a New Yorker”
and i can’t help but write
countless poems about
the place
and the people
and the identity

and my heart beats harder
and my anxiety lulls softer
when anywhere that reminds me
of my chosen home

[would i still feel like a New Yorker
if we fled to Paris
for safety?]

July 12, 2025 [part 2]

/ HJ / Leave a comment

while we didn’t fall in love with Lisbon
like we thought we might

we definitely fell in love with Europe
and the fact that people here
seem to be a little bit more functional/
the democracies around here
definitely are more functional
than the shitshow we left
and are now approaching back

and Paris
the surprise contender
from least likely
to most
in our future endeavors

[is it just that we fall in love with
anything
that reminds us of New York?]

[is that the moral of this whole experience?]

July 3, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

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]

June 26, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

getting choked up
at rallies where we all chant
“we are New Yorkers”
to signify we won’t be beaten down
or give in
to fascism

literally tearing up
while reading the world’s responses
to our mayoral primary
“that’s my mayor”
in Cleveland
in Virginia
in New Zealand
in Europe

those damn tote bags were right —

don’t you dare call me an american
i’ve never had any
pride in my country

but don’t you dare forget
that i’m a New Yorker
and my chosen city
stands up for all our
beliefs

and when we get together on something
don’t you dare forget
what we can all accomplish
as New Yorkers
together

December 26, 2024

/ HJ / Leave a comment

for a second
for a moment
for the briefest of instances
the highest tones were all i could hear
from the jackhammer working
a few blocks away
and i thought
for that tiny amount of time
that someone was continuing the holiday spirit
into boxing day
and jangling jingle bells
as hard as they could

[new york sounds are a symphony]