I wasn’t expecting the sound of seagulls
& water when I popped out of 2 train
at 135th Street
Randy birds mating,
attacking trash bags
outside of Harlem Medical Center
as I paced a few blocks
on Lenox Ave., also named
after the firebrand Malcolm X,
I wasn’t prepared for that
but where were the jazz greats
of yesteryear? I wanted my heart
& guts to be smacked shut
by their vibrato and music,
even on an early Monday morning
before the Research all-staff meeting
at Schomburg Center, &
their various bland bagels and croissants
but where Black History and culture
is still vibrant and alive,
where Maya Angelou
once danced upon the river-painted floor
that held the ashes of Langston Hughes.
After learning the subservience of slavery through art
& the photography of effervescent Black women,
I crossed 10 blocks on Lenox
to Red Rooster Cafe
with my boss, devouring
chicken & waffles
high as the fattest tower
on 125th Street;
we sachet our way back to Queens,
“Like a Natural Woman”
sung by the angel Aretha
led our way from blessed Harlem.