i did not know
what i was looking for
on that Thanksgiving morning
thought i’d take an early chance
the sun was sinking night
if nothing not nostalgia
where deserted storefronts drum
an outstretched hand in a doorway
the alienation hum
slippage in the alley calls out
“lonely tourists crossing”
history meets happenstance
if you filter what’s in sight
scanning what remains you see
it’s only Hoppers’ light
penny eisenberg 2011