Nowhere is Back

the Subway no longer closes Overnight
for Cleaning
like it did for the first time in History 
New York City subway – clean
As It Ever Was – cancelled

Most remain Masked
on public transit, Unmasked 
we bask 
in parks: the High Line, Little Island

Many still jog on the street
although the gyms are now open

Some still poke fun 
at Outdoor Dining that still eats up 
parking 
Sure! When I see a waitress with a full tray 
cross a bike lane 
on her way from the restaurant to the table
it concerns me as a biker – 
a reminder to wear a Helmet

just a month ago, walking east 
on fourteenth street to Stuy Town 
to catch up with a high school friend
and be surprised 
by her new beautiful wife
I noticed the Nowhere bar was nowhere –
Gone
Thought I saw a new store in its place, but now 
I look it up online, and it has been re-opened!

Nowhere is Back

Pavel Frolov

Originally from Moscow, Russia, Pavel Frolov (He/Him) is a queer-identified New York City-based performer and writer. He holds a BA in Communication from Brooklyn College. Pavel’s recent poems have appeared online in oddball magazine, Lavender Review, Elevator Stories, Ariel’s Dream, Milk Carton Press, Visible Magazine, Poetry Festival and in print anthologies from Beyond Words & Wingless Dreamer. Also, Pavel’s CNF short story “The Appetite Zone or Penny Dreadful for a Marxist” was published in MIXED MAG Issue 13 this year.