A New York City Mourning

The trains and buses are bleak

New Yorkers jokingly complain of tourists in the way of a New York minute

But I never thought the city would be this empty consistently

The morning rushes are not filled to the brim like a cup of joe

Where did the people go?

Are they hiding?

Are they taken?

Are they missing?

If so, how do I prove strangers I don’t know are not where they should be?

The bustling sounds of my city scream mixture and freedom

It screams arguments of people who are on top of each other trying to survive and barely get by being paid in laughter and a nod.

The showtime performances that we all hated

The panhandlers that made this city unique

The scammers even

It slowly changed in 2020 but this year it’s different

My beautiful city is dying of a cancer I can not cure

Every day, every morning it seems emptier

And I can’t tell if my mind is plagued with paranoia because I don’t know who to look for.

Businesses that I could not find a seat in have several tables available

The heart of New York City is emptying; it’s bleeding, it’s being deported

The criminals I’ll hear being yelled from people who don’t live here

People who don’t admit crime happens everywhere but are looking to politically blame why it happens instead of free will or Mertons strain theory

People who don’t understand the magic of a melting pot

A place where people of opposing countries can become friends

A simple act of crossing a street or passing a home or apartment

Financial and cultural statuses change at the drop of a dime

The skaters, the bladers, the homeless, the rich, your barista, street performers, security, off duty nurse, on duty ems, the bands, the brave and the scared

But now

the saxophones aren’t weeping in the tunnels the same.

The breakdancers don’t spin, they’ve vanished

I don’t hear a cacophony of languages arguing over music anymore

I hear shoes echo off concrete like ghosts

And maybe I’m losing it,

but it feels like something sacred is being erased

in a language I never learned to fight.

I keep asking

Am I the only one who notices the silence getting louder?

Or is everyone else too afraid to say it sounds like mourning?