paradise in 1 A

the metal door

of the apartment, 

hardly keeping the cold 

at bay,

the edges wheezed

with wind.

and the windows, old

and stuck,

letting nothing out,

nothing in.

the ceiling above shared

as a floor

for those in 2 A.

you could hear their 

footsteps, the bark of their

dog, the symphony of bed

springs

into the night.

one bedroom, a galley

kitchen.

a stove,

a sink. an ice box.

the trash

carried to the dumpster

at the far end of the court.

the early years.

it felt like paradise.