At the abandoned bathing pavilion
In Rockaway Beach, New York City
There’s a painting from 1910
With thousands of people
Swimming sunning
Escaping the city
Not thinking about
Sand being the only reason
That we have glass
It’s like today but no phones
More suits and dresses
I want to be in it
I want to be painted here
In the beach forever
Looking out to where
The sea and sky kiss
Too hot and windy
To think about death
I want to be painted here
Even though
In a hundred years a new painting
And a hundred years a new painting
And another one after that
So on and so forth
Until the sun explodes
There’s no I in paint
If you spell it differently
If there’s no language
But until then
You might as well immortalize me
Go ahead and paint me
Three-quarters naked in the sinking sand
No one will know it’s me
And I doubt being painted
Makes it feel any better
To be gone
But I want it anyway
I think it will be nice