The day words ate Manhattan was a Thursday
when time was on their side
and curtains were blue
and nobody was looking for a cheese grater
in that shape.

The day words ate Manhattan
was appropriately gray
because words weren’t doing anything
just being used randomly
out of the mouths of babes, bacteria, bears and bachelors
and could be spent easily
at any five and dime anywhere in the five boroughs
– and in Hoboken, to boot.

The day the words ate Manhattan
wasn’t unlike any other
since words swallow everything in their path all the time,
Thursdays included.
Words are voracious.
Words are omnivorous.
Words never sleep and words are always on the prowl for a good meal.

The day the words at Manhattan is this minute.
Not today.
This min