This is What I Live For

This fateful Friday I finally got to leave Poughkeepsie

and it felt so good

midterms week was so oppressive

all I did was sit in various library cubicles

staring at the walls 

and listening to Robin Thicke to get me by

while my roommate overdosed on caffeine 

literally, she said her teeth were buzzing

which worries me a bit

but enough with that 

because Vassar seems like just a distant memory 

still covered in snow 

so for now I'll just pretend that I'll be in the city forever

not for just 2 more weeks

it's actually spring here

and I'm storing the snow boots

and my winter jacket away

hello leather jacket, 

sweet thing, how I've missed you

I traded in the library cubicle 

for the park benches at Tompkin's

watching pups in the dog run (and sane squirrels)

I saw the cutest bulldog

a chubby, scrumptious little thing

that looked like a roll of sugar cookie dough

pups help past the time when you're waiting 2 hours

to get a coveted seat in 

the Clinton Street Baking Company

for the best blueberry pancakes ever (more on that later)

so the wait was productive,

I finally got to take in my neighborhood(s)

while the sun was shining

perfect weather for an iced coffee

and a long walk

so here are some pictures I took

because one of the best things about the city 

is the street art, the graffiti, the murals

this is one of my favorite ever

an amalgamation of everything about the city that I love

the Lower East Side is the most beautiful place in the entire world

no matter what anyone says 

I'm a sucker for any tag in pink 

so long drab brick buildings of Vassar

I get so sick of staring out my window onto the quad

where everything looks the same

where nothing is colorful

where the extent of history isn't just some 

tall tales about Jane Fonda 

I just wish I could stay here forever

where there's a bodega on every corner

and a photo op on every block

and I don't have to wait for a shuttle to go to the supermarket

where the extent of my walk isn't to 

English class

where there are pigeons and buses

and different types of people (this is probably the most refreshing thing about being back)

for the next two weeks 

me and my leather jacket

are going to take on the world 

(because the Lower East Side is definitely the center of the world).