In the summer the sparrows sound
like you’re watching the tide
The grackles soar like seagulls
over ocean foam spouting from the 12 bus
Passengers undulate over every bump and street-wise
pedestrians are like mushrooms in the tropics,
wearing floppy hats while going about their tasks
In the summer there’s a beat you can listen to
on a boom box as if beneath water —
the top-40 songstress’ voice hazy and gurgling in the distance
In the summertime every day here
is like you’re living near a shoreline.