New Poem

I heard this amazing story about Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Ayer on "Fresh Air" today. Steve Lopez is a columnist for the LA Times and met Nathaniel Ayer on Skid Row. Nathaniel was a brilliant musician who dropped out of Julliard because of mental illness. Lopez helped him get back into music and wrote a book about their experiences called The Soloist. I was inspired by a part of the interview to write this poem. I hope you will listen to part of the story. I know you are busy. At least think about listening to part of it.
Here's the poem:

The Apartment

is waiting for me with its windows and hush hush hush
if I can’t hear the sirens or rain how will I know my body
exists and the world of noise and sensation
the music of the dripping sink the thumps upstairs
as if the building is a living thing and we are
its heartbeat all night
I push the cart up and down the street watching
the apartment building turn on its eyes
and close itself like a mouth that wants to sing
but can only belch and groan
if only the apartment were the size of my hand
I could lift the building to my lips and blow
the sound of music the humming of kitchen
lights the refrigerator the startling silence
of night cars going by and the way the moon
howls its glow if I wanted to be inside
I would turn myself out like coat lapels or socks
but the city is my mind lit up like Sunset Boulevard
walking all night pushing this way and that and even
the silence makes a sound like the echo of wind
in a paper cup can you hear it?
inside I curl on the floor I hear
the apartment sleeping the eyelids of sleepers
fluttering in dreams and if I cannot dream
then I do not blame the apartment I
believe it cradles me like a park bench
that wants to melt but cannot help
what it is being only the right shape
and so much metal