Poetry in Motion
New York
Awaking in New York
Maya Angelou
Awakening in New York
Curtains forcing their will
against the wind,
children sleep,
exchanging dreams with
Seraphim. The city
drags itself awake on
subway straps; and
I, an alarm, awake as a
rumor of war,
lie stretching into dawn,
unasked and unheeded.
"Awakening in New York" from Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? © 1983 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random house LLC and Caged Bird Legacy, LLC.
A Day in Parkchester © 2011 William Low, Parkchester/NYC Transit.
Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design.