Most This Amazing Day
Today, a day amazing
of sunlight sprinkles and skin-tingling
cool wisps of springtime air,
of parking decks and flights of steps
to catch
a hooting train, New York-bound —-
on the upper train deck,
I read David’s psalm passages
in Kindle app
through local station stops (slow boat to China)
walked from Penn Station
to 29th and 8th ,
my daughter met me in her Subaru
and we snaked our way around the New York
City traffic jungle
towards downtown,
found a lucky parking spot,
had brunch with a window seat (Gwyneth Paltrow’s haunt)
walked almost a thousand steps
throughout Soho and West Village,
stopping for iced coffee,
and afterwards dessert with prosecco (classy French place)
Back at Penn Station, hopped on the
Northeast Corridor train to New Brunswick,
a family with young kids,
and an elderly couple
who visited Coney Island,
the grey-haired man said each year
he spends his birthday there
I caught the joy
in the tremor of his voice.
I missed my stop. (first time after so long)
Next stop, Princeton Junction,
the conductor announced,
Thankfully Uber.
fetched by a shining light blue Tesla, (I was expecting a Toyota)
driven back to New Brunswick station
Almost 10 pm.
Elevator to parking deck out of service.
Ascended the stairs, startled by
a dark-haired man, shabbily dressed,
spoke to me in Spanish,
no more trains, he said,
he will walk up the stairs with me
No, I said and ran back down
to an almost abandoned platform
save for a redheaded, muscular young male
seated on the waiting bench.
He walked up with me to the parking deck,
made sure I got in my car safely. (he was an angel unaware)
Most this amazing day. (phrase from E.E. Cumming’s poem)
D. G. Vachal © 2024
Image by Predrag Krezic
lilies, sparrows and grass 
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