SoHo

The long hike
          on that sweltering day
from the Brooklyn Bridge
         down to Lafayette Street
on the edge of the Village
         both of us gasping
for a little relief
         from the heat
my white shirt
         soaked through
perspiration
         near blinding me
to the sights

So we fell into
         Joe and the Juice
two 16 oz ice lattes
         to slake our thirst
and look around
         at the customers
so chic and so cool
         the air-conditioning
was redundant

Happy
         memory

John Lyons