I wake up in the morning and look out the window
The sun is shining and looks perfect
As winter advances and retreats
Spring flowers bloom in Central Park
I grab my cup of coffee
It tastes like Brazil and smells like NY
I put on a light blue coat and rush to my doctor’s appointment
As I leave the building, the cold wind chills my bones
I should have brought my winter coat
It feels like a warm day
And it seems like winter will never go away
In the doctor’s office, people wait
Each in their own world
I wish I could leave
But I’m hurt, so I have to stay
The doctor is late and I wonder if I can escape
Since there’s nowhere to go, I sit and wait
My afternoon is filled with a bagel, lox, and cream cheese
A coffee to go
The flavor unites my European heritage, the months of being an American teenager in NY, and the strong Brazilian flavors
I walk back home feeling restless
There’s work to do and I miss the sun
My phone won’t stop ringing
There’s a food delivery
I hear the sirens and the honking cars
I’m getting ready to go out and meet my date
High heels don’t help much on the streets of NYC
I choose sneakers and black sets the tone
It’s a fancy restaurant and we meet halfway
A driver in a black car opens the door for his celebrity passengers
The celebrity chef greets us at the door
I remember what brought us to that place
A distant celebration
A 20th birthday that wasn’t celebrated on the date
We sit outside in cozy tents
A trend brought to us by the Covid pandemic
We order our food and under our feet, the ground shakes
The subway just passed, ah, yes, French food is delicious, the wine is great
The bill arrives steep, always so high
We head back home
Sirenes guide our way
Homeless people lie down
5th Avenue is now empty
Except for people getting ready to sleep on the streets
It’s cold and I miss Brazil
I miss the good weather and the warm people
The parties and the flavors
The colors and the music
But what I miss no longer exists
The colors have faded, the streets are no longer welcoming
Maybe it’s the pandemic or the change or the time passed
Maybe I’ve changed too
My past and present have become a thin line
The flavors blending, the memories intertwining
And here I am, a Brazilian walking the streets of NY
So cosmopolitan, New York
Gathering spices from all over the world
As I walk home Uptown
I step into my future, never forgetting where I came from