New York City Dreamin’

New York City dreamin’ on a brisk day.
I’d be safe and warm if not left astray.
A poor kid in a big city, finding a way—
tales from the concrete getaway.

All the leaves are brown,
and the sky is grey.
Oh, the bright lights of this town
make me float down Broadway.

In the capital of the world,
I stand on the subway platform.
Being in the right place at the right time
is an urban art form.

Screeching down the tunnels,
I am content to write fresh new content,
sitting next to a laborer and businessman
talking about the due rent.

New York City dreamin’ on a brisk day.
I’d be safe and warm if not left astray.
A poor kid in a big city, finding a way—
tales from the concrete getaway.

All the leaves are brown,
and the sky is grey.
Oh, the bright lights of this town
make me float down Broadway.

I get off at my stop—
to a stream of stop signs and bustling traffic,
where the poor and rich share a jungle.
The core of the Big Apple is filled with breaking news.

An island of innovation on strong bedrock,
the city of dreams that stays awake around the clock.
Different seasons shapeshift scenic avenues;
the core of the Big Apple is filled with breaking news.

New York City dreamin’ on a brisk day.
I’d be safe and warm if not left astray.
A poor kid in a big city, finding a way—
tales from the concrete getaway.

All the leaves are brown,
and the sky is grey.
Oh, the bright lights of this town
make me float down Broadway.

On the road, no matter what lies at each side of the fork,
I am proud to have grown up in New York.

Note from the poet: Some of the verses in this poem intentionally serve as an ode to the Beach Boys’ “California Dreamin’,” echoing its tone and structure while reimagining it through a New York lens.

Editor's note: "California Dreamin'" was originally by The Mamas & The Papas, and later covered by the Beach Boys.