have more elegant houses
or more imposing churches,
but no block has more beautiful trees
than Guernsey Street, which runs parallel
to the river between McCarren Park,
on its southern end, and Oak Street at its northern tip.
The block between Franco's Meserole Avenue
and Greg's Norman Avenue
has the most dramatic tree canopy in our area.
The street is towered over by forest-scaled locust trees
that create a leafy roof – a delightful respite
from the blazing sun on steamy summer days,
or a subtle barrier from the snow on days like today.
In a landscape of warehouses and factories,
this block of Brooklyn seems to appear out of nowhere
like a magical wood in a fairytale.
Graceful 19th-century apartment buildings,
some with bay windows are guarded by
towering honey locust trees
that form a hipster canopy.
My artist friend Tim Doyle
paints the trees along Guernsey Street
every season, snow and sun,
and today I am meeting him,
to talk about love while he paints and smokes,
and I simply watch in wonder,
until I live here.