Poem at 1040 11th

If ten men do Tai Chi in the park by the streetAnd one man is doing sword tricks in silence
And if the neighbors rise quietly,
      And late.
If your window opens to the forest
And all through the night, every night,
      most nights, and starting early,
with tacky music and a great quantity of liquor
And a great number of people spilling out
into the streets.
If on the other side women celebrate love.
If the numberless children drink orange pop
      on the lawn,
unkempt, rain-watered, and lively.
If the step is cracked in just the right spirit,
And the sun beats down but noone minds.
If all these things are true
And you have begun to love not only the balmy weather,
but the storms, too, and a man nearby,
Then could and can this place be home again,
      Impossibly?

This poem first appeared in the Kindred litmag, which you should totally buy because it's full of wonderful stories.