13,499. THE STREET

THE STREET

The roar of what I heard came

clearly through the loft-top windows.

That crew on 21st was taking down

another building where, first, the

church had burned, and then a 

smoldering second-fire had broken

out and taken the two side buildings,

where the leather shop and the

fussy coffee place most recently

had been. Gay guys, intellectual

types, out-of-work female dancers,

and for all I know YMCA and

Police League strippers hung out.

-

A really vicious fire can surely

change a street : so recently proud

of itself and on the up-bound main,

now this part of 21st will, again,

just revert to noise and pain for

near a year. I guess it's no crime,

but rebuilding all this takes time.