South of Suffolk

As I sit here, feeling small

listening to the rain,

I take in that scent,

the briny sweet taste

of Long Island’s best.

From the porch fronts of Babylon,

to the seaside drives in Massapequa

the boats out of Montauk

and main street in Riverhead

we all flow just the same.

The nurses at Stony Brook,

the farmers of Mattituck,

the firefighters in Great Neck.

In through the Sound

right by King’s Park.

Out to the Atlantic,

past Gilgo Beach.

And suddenly,

small’s not so bad

for someone like me.

A long island girl,

outside in the rain.