Construction

by Kevin Pilkington

There is construction going on
all over the city. On the roof below
workers are putting down
hot tar the color of Turkish
coffee the day will sip dry
by noon. Thick ropes hang down
like vines Tarzan can swing on
with Jane in one arm and Cheetah
on his back. Downtown cranes
are far enough away they don’t
need special effects to make them
giant birds pecking on new high 
rises. And there is even work
being done on the streets creating
enough traffic jams to seal in jars
and sell in specialty shops. Drilling
on sidewalks sounds like every
dentist in the city is working
with their office windows open.
By the end of the day all the noise
turns into white dust on the boots
of workers taking it into subways
and home. The noise I know returns
with traffic lights turning green,
cats walking on tenement window
sills, cash burning a hole in the pocket
of a guy back from the track and planes
the size of loose change leaving Kennedy
on their way to Europe and on schedule
so their passengers will arrive way before
Paris closes.

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Kevin Pilkington is on the writing faculty at Sarah Lawrence College. He is the author of ten poetry collections and two novels. His latest collection, Playing Poker with Tennessee Williams, was published by Black Lawrence Press in 2021 and his second novel, Taking on Secrets, was published in 2022 by Blue Jade Press. His poetry collection Walking on October is forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press in January 2027.