Keep your eyes soft
and your will strong.
Find the holes in crowds, talk loud
and rejoice in bridges,
the way light slants on water
and skyscrapers define the landscape of sky.
Adopt the mythology of subways
as your own personal religion.
Burrow your way through neon
to the sketchy theater in the walk-up loft.
Eat below 14th Street.
Discover the den of poets in the park.
D. Dina Friedman has published widely in literary journals (including Calyx, Common Ground Review, Lilith, Bloodroot, Inkwell, Pacific Poetry and Fiction Review, Tsunami, The Sun, Anderbo, San Pedro River Review, Mount Hope, and Rhino). She received two Pushcart Prize nominations for poetry and fiction and has also published two young adult novels: Escaping Into the Night and Playing Dad’s Song. Dina currently teaches at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, and is in the MFA program at Lesley University. Visit her website at www.ddinafriedman.com.
A Quiet Courage 