no elevator.
Rear garden with fountain,
no access.
Good-looking landlord,
four children.
But:
The fireplace works.
Norman Mailer once attended a party on the second floor.
And Sheridan Square is just two blocks away.
Which is why I decided that:
It is not hard to wash dishes in a tub.
Roaches can be fun.
Falling plaster lends a certain charm.
And two hundred and ten dollars a month
Is a worthwhile investment for:
three beards
one dancer
one actress working as a waitress
one painter
one copywriter gathering material for a caustic denunciation of
Madison Avenue
one dentist taking philosophy courses at the New School
and
one insurance salesman
(maybe he’ll move).