I turned and peered across the aisle through the scratched window at the lights of Harlem spilling their reflections into the black river. Meanwhile in my own window the floodlights of Yankee Stadium dazzled, a night game running extra innings. With my forehead resting against the cool glass I closed my eyes. As bridges, buildings, and viaducts floated by, I imagined the train being lifted off the tracks, seized by the grip of an enormous gorilla, soaring through the darkness. While aware of its power to crush the train, I was simultaneously touched by the solicitous restraint of the monster’s grip. From that brief dream I awoke with a start, convinced that I’d missed my station, to see that the train had just pulled out of University Heights.
• •
Though I lived in Kingsbridge, close
