The Beat of Washington Square Park

For three beautiful strangers, two beautiful friends, one beautiful day 

I saw the best minds of my generation

Over falafels and jazz

With eyes that glowed

Green like fresh grass

And blue

Like fine crystals

With crescent moon

Smiles, as curved as arches  

 Radiant like sunlight

On a napping afternoon

We exchanged five dollar bills

For verses from strangers

Searching for things with

Capital B’s and P’s

Like those in

Passion

and

Poison

Time stood still

Like summer heat  

Or the static bodies

In bras and sunglasses

O’Hara wrote

Lunch poems

And Ginsberg wrote

At roofs

That we talk about in parks

Over falafels and jazz

Like stray cats

We searched

For the truth

And the light
From the words 

Of a stranger