Coda: Into the Street -- Alicia Ostriker

Coda: Into the Street
(for Gerald Stern)

Here comes the sun again
Reminding everyone to rise and shine
So we pour the coffee and hear the news,

We pick up the paper and sigh like arthritic dogs,
And we might like to blow our exasperated
Brains out, when we think about the world,

Then again we might laugh ourselves silly,
Figure out how to profit by it
Or wonder how to love it anyway,

This is what freedom and consciousness are for.
As if we are standing on the roof
Of a very tall tower

Looking at the complicated view,
Then taking the elevator,
Going out into the street,

Lucky us.

--Alicia Ostriker