NYC ~ Rain, Sun, Clouds

Made it into NYC yesterday.
It was raining;
people with umbrellas flipped backwards,
umbrellas with no coat or with a
wrapped shawl cold and wet
rain boots or sandals,
there was one man with a rickety stand
selling newspapers
smiling on in the rain,
sitting in his wheelchair.
He actually may have been the happiest one I saw there,
wearing his yellow t-shirt.
*
So...
I had to get a new card for the subway,
the machine would not work for a good 5 minutes,
two cards later I got what I needed
and was already running late
and then my map on my phone crashed
and I took the subway the wrong way
in the rain,
it is so hot underground but cold above
I quickly have to figure out
zip and hood up with rain jacket and hat outside
unzip jacket, take off hat underground;
so many people,
beautiful women with hair amazingly curly and perfect looking
in a rain storm;
people holding cell phones;
a woman inside with a beautiful retro hair cut
sitting huddled on a bench
with a bunch of things;
probably all that she owned;
others in suits, briefcases, strong large men
seemingly impervious to the rain.
*
I am asking people on the subway
I need to go here, what do I do to get there?
and no one answered but I figured out,
I was on the wrong train, wrong way;
a woman as I was leaving smiled,
beautifully dressed and told me what to do.
I am standing wet in the rain
with umbrella, hat, coat, my trusty red cart
trying to hail a cab,
late for my appointment
talking on my cell phone and being told that
cabs usually don't stop for people in the rain and
I figure out with phone instructions what subway to take
the right way
and I am over 20 minutes late,
wet, drenched brown leather Birkenstock shoes,
wishing I was wearing my red rain boots
and frustrated like so many out there in the rain,
yet the man who was so poor with
a news stand that looked like it was
rickety bamboo tied with string,
wearing his yellow t-shirt in the rain
sat there smiling.
*
There was warnings for floods, for storms,
what is this latest tropical storm going to bring and now today
it is sunny
this morning and now cloudy.
*
 So now I have more to think about.
*
A woman in a small yarn shop near my
far away church said that
knitting is cheaper than therapy.
I tell Mr. Husband this when I sit and knit.
It is rather calming.  

Speaking of Mr. Husband
my day yesterday got so much better
the minute I saw him all beautiful
walking towards me
and he listened, we got food,
he gave me a pair of spare dry socks,
I had vegan chocolate
and poured out my rain-filled-drenched story of
what felt like a ruined soggy day
and then we went home
and on the way had Indian for dinner
and it was warm and I had a dish called
Konkani curry with shrimp
and thought of how someday I want to own
metal chopsticks to eat with
and my day got better and better,
as I teased Mr. Husband about the 80's music
there that I knew well but was not to his taste.

 

And then we got home,
walking in drenching rain,
I with still dry socks
and Mr. Husband using my bigger umbrella and
seeing the lampadas burning bright and it was
so wonderful to be home,
warm, out of the rain,
quickly plugging in cell phones in case we lost power
and this morning it was sunny
and I wonder what that man in the yellow t-shirt,
wheelchair and rickety news stand woke up to.