Poetry: 'New York City' - Westchester to the Lower East Side by Andrea Janov

By Andrea Janov 

Artist's Statement

I am a confluence of contradictions, fan of parallel structure, and nostalgic pack rat who writes poetry about living. Most importantly I believe in the beauty of the ordinary, the power of the vernacular, and the history of the abandoned. My work strives to reveal the art in what we see, say, do, ignore, and forget every day.

Westchester to the Lower East Side
This is what adults call a transition period.
 
My last semester at SUNY Purchase
with an apartment in Alphabet City
and a reverse commute to Westchester.

Twenty years old
with no marketable skills
nor the luxury of accepting a day job.
 
Armed with one summer at a small town pizza shop,
a skirt just short enough,
    and as much charm and confidence as I can rally,
 
I take my resume
to every bar, diner, cafe, and fast food joint
in the Lower East Side, the East Village, and Greenwich Village.
 
Managers graciously accept copies
    which I assume are promptly tossed in the nearest trash can
        because I only ever get one call back.
 
I somehow manage to fake my way
into a shift at Around the Clock
and start my new life, in New York City.