New York's bitter bricks
how quickly I am mortared
encased and cemented in routine
the day knows my name
even when I don't
the night gives me up
to everything but myself
this cold life
uncovered design of gray and white
I am mentored in violent blue
wrapped in glacial midnight
when I write
my life is altogether unremembered
words d
r i
p p
i n
g down
in tattered collage
oh to be geared up
and still unprepared
before I break
I will crack the ice
Apr 23
Apr 23, 2026 at 12:30 PM UTC
New York's bitter bricks
how quickly I am mortared
encased and cemented in routine
the day knows my name
even when I don't
the night gives me up
to everything but myself
this cold life
uncovered design of gray and white
I am mentored in violent blue
wrapped in glacial midnight
when I write
my life is altogether unremembered
words d
r i
p p
i n
g down
in tattered collage
oh to be geared up
and still unprepared
before I break
I will crack the ice
This is an ekphrastic poem based on Lorna Simpson's 'Ice 11'
https://lsimpsonstudio.com/paintings/ice-20172018
