Late July

The heat swells around us,
it holds us upright,
but tilts us forward just a bit.
Weather with presence. There are
places people pee that were invisible in winter,
but are now broadcasting eye water
on Bergen Street. There's a guy
eating a burrito in a tinfoil wrapper, while
a man sweeps spent MetroCards
in front of the turnstile to the F Train.
The heat broke everything.
The stairs sagged under my feet
as I climbed them.