Atlantis

You had to be there.

And I was, saw the whole city,

its vehicles and animals

perpetually under the weather, yes,

the place was sick at heart. Greed,

corruption, no wonder

we went under. Still, I miss

that city, its cramped excuses, its low sky

like a reason for a fever.

Living in that city, it was like you had a fever

always. Tossing, turning,

pillar to post, always something new to see,

always some new lover around the corner.

Where I came from, that wasn’t just sorrow,

it was reason itself, to keep your head up.

Nathaniel Rosenthalis is the author of theree full-length collections of poetry, including Works and Days and The Leniad, both out with Broken Sleep Books. He is a singer, actor, and teacher who lives in NYC and teaches at NYU.