Twenty Years Time

Dedicated on this day, the 13th of July, MCMXXIV, to commemorate a woman’s sacrifice. May her statue create beauty in this neighborhood for years to come.

I noticed they cleaned the statue in the park.
the one that was so littered by graffiti
and pigeon shit.
that sat next to the bagel store that used to be a Thai
restaurant
that used to be a catering company’s headquarters
that used to be a deli
that used to be a bodega
got a new awning.

Fowad, with its horribly misspelled signs
(we have all women’s sizs)
has finally given way
to a Washington Mutual ATM
and Twin Donut,
which has relocated from its tiny corner store
where the new Fleet ATM is.

The Gap is long gone,
now half empty, half Citibank ATM
(in case the branch across the street is too busy)
the smelly fish store next to the Subway
(both the entrance and the sandwich shop)
is now a Kodak processing store
one bodega replaced another,
Wings, with its ten dollar pairs of jeans,
is now the Organic Kosher Emporium
Cingulair used to be a florist.
Luxury Brand Outlets lasted a grand total of four months
which pales next to the four years Lechter’s was there
and the ten years the pizza place was there before.
the Thai restaurant next to Babyland, which used to be Chavo
(dubbed the pimp store by me and my friends)
is now a wine store
and the GNC...

the GNC has always been there.