The Miracle of SoHo
A poem by Tsipi Inberg Ben-Haim
Drop me off on
Broadway & Broome
Zigi danced the words away
Happily flung into a taxi’s embrace,
Airport’s hum left in a distant chase.
The driver’s shock, a worried guise
“If you want to rob me
Why drag me all the way downtown?”
The gritty Seventies sounded the alarm.
Cobblestone roads with gaps like missing teeth
Sidewalk halls predict a legal threat.
Streets brood dark,in eerie silence spread
Landmarks pondering fate’s reprimand.
What will become of them
Most sweatshops gone
No one knows
What the future holds
In this shambled symphony,
trash remains,
Shmate manufacturer’s tales of old strains
Dirty Streets invite new souls with creative gleam,
No, not rats, but artists seek their dream.
Migrating seekers, hopeful and bold,
In SoHo’s grasp, inspiration’s stronghold.
Industrial echoes, raw and removed,
South of Houston, Landmarks landscape improved.
Colorful trash, art’s divine fuel, Shapes and hues,
paper, wood, and rope’s embrace,
Newspapers speak, tales interlace.
Artists, shlepping items with grace,
Breathe new life into discarded space. Museums’ gems, from trash reborn,
History’s whispers quietly adorn.
Transforming wastelands, legacy’s aim.
A Jewel in New York’s crown sparkles new tale Live and work,
a global impact rise, Galleries bloom, stars in creative skies.
Fancy stores followed rich men couldn’t stay away,
Challenging spaces, a love affair,
Cultural treasure beyond compare.
SoHo’s tale, a limitless scroll,
Imagination’s canvas, a boundless goal.
The miracle persists in hearts aglow,
SoHo’s legacy, forever to grow
Hear Tsipi read her poem here:
Tsipi has been a resident of SoHo since 1979 and Founder/Director of CITYarts, a not-for-profit public art and education organization.