and the vacant luxury high rises
so easy to find
slender and twisting so high into the sky
so tall and bright against the night
designed by architects of international acclaim
decorated by award winning interior designers
with lobbies displaying the latest artworks of world famous artists
residences starting at 2200 square feet
four to a floor
each floor plan unique
with floor to ceiling windows offering one of a kind views
and italian marble floors
and kitchens of walnut and stainless steel
20 foot long backsplashes of hand laid river stone
and this high rise only 26% occupied
this one maybe 40%
this one 32%
and so many residences bought and owned
merely as assets of investment, purely as instruments of finance
by owners who never call them a home
never slap their bare feet across the carrera marble floors
never hear the laughter of their happy children running down the galleries
and the 4 of them, the two young men and two young women
stepped out of the elevator into the main lobby of a vacant luxury high rise
so easy to find
slender and twisting so high into the sky
so tall and bright against the night
the two couples, so young and so wealthy
dressed with impeccable casualness
as they walked under the latest giant kitten ballon of a famous japanese artist
stepping out arm in arm exploring the city
spending the evening drinking craft beer at all the best breweries
and then a dinner of magnificent pasta
of ingredients foraged by the chef in a river valley 3 hours away
and a bottle and a half of an excellent argentinian varietal wine
and they had fun and they had drink
and they were so drunk now
as they staggered back to their vacant luxury high rise
so easy to find
slender and twisting so high into the sky
so tall and bright against the night
the shorter young man woozy and moaning now
stopped in an arching brick doorway built a century ago
doubled over and heaved out his artisanally crafted dinner onto the steps
as an elderly homeless man who was sleeping there
utterly unnoticed in the dark
awoke suddenly and tried to offer help, asking are you ok
but the young man’s tall friend turned around and freaked out
when he saw the dark shape reaching for his friend
and kicked the old man from behind head first into the door
and started beating him and pushed him down
into the vomit
and yelled at him to eat it eat it
it’s artisanal you piece of shit
and the two young women grabbed his long arms and shoulders and pulled him off
screamed at him to stop stop stop it’s ok it’s ok pulling him away
and somehow the girls dragged the guys back to their vacant luxury high rise
so easy to find
slender and twisting so high into the sky
so tall and bright against the night
the doorman letting them in and helping them into the express elevator
as the tall young man turned away from his friends
his face turned into a corner of the elevator, hands over his ears
as if he was afraid of what he was about to hear
his artisanally wasted friend sitting slouched and moaning against his legs
and as the elevator rushed higher and higher and higher
to the tall young man’s residence on the 76th floor
one of the young woman finally had enough
crumpled into a corner and began to puke
as her friend, the most sober and upright of the lot, could only watch
as all she could think about
was the old man left lying face down on the ground
oh shit oh f what what what am i going to do
as all she could think about
was going back to the old man
was getting the key cards she knew how to get
as she was employed by the luxury high rise
was one of it’s four real estate agents
the key cards she knew she could get for each of these vacant floors
laid out neatly in rows in the secure room of the sales office on the first floor
these vacant floors
going by
going by
going by
and the old man left lying face down on the ground
i’m so sorry i’m so sorry she wanted to go back to him and say
are you ok are you ok here here take the key take the key
you can stay here tonight she wanted to say
no ones going to be here tonight
no ones going to be here for years
as she watched the floor numbers climbing higher and higher and higher
and put her head down into her hand and began to cry
each vacant floor whooshing by
each vacant floor whooshing by
vacant floors whooshing by
whooshing by
whooshing by
vacant
vacant
vacant
vacant
vacant
vacant
occupied
vacant
vacant
occupied
bell
the elevator door opening onto the 76th floor
as she dragged her friends out into the absolute silence of the lobby
the smell of their vomit following them
and the vacant luxury high rises
so easy to find
slender and twisting so high into the sky
so tall and bright against the night
and a young woman who knew what had to be done
stepping out into the light
heat flow 