Revive the Archive: Vito Grippi’s “Jack Dempsey’s on Thirty-Third” (2004)

Revive the Archive is a weekly series that brings new eyes to previously published works. This week we look at “ Jack Dempsey’s on Thirty-Third” by Vito Grippi. This piece was originally published in volume ten of The York Review.

— for the lonesome travelers —

I dream of you Liam,

wiping out a glass with the

towel that drapes over your shoulder,

living up to the stereotype and knowing it,

as you light cigarettes for tourists and brush off the bar.

I dream of you,

departing from your ship,

alone and cold in Manhattan,

with only an Irish accent and a gift

for conversation to keep you warm.

I dream of the America

you lead us to, here

on the 102nd floor, with the rats

below in Rotten Gotham.

I dream of Murphy’s and Costa,

from the Copacabana — who smoked

all my cigarettes while watching the

meaningless match in a smoke-filled

room of oak and brass and stale spirits.

I dream of looking for sweet Liberty,

from two flights below heaven where

the December wind feels like a cold hell.

I dream of the millions of lonesome travelers

who set sail looking for paradise,

praying for hope at

the foot of a green effigy. And

Uncle Bobby, who put all of his soul

in a concrete slab reaching for heaven,

but falling short.

I dream of you Liam,

while looking down on the

lustrous planets of a city with no name.

I dream of you,

in the pub of Everlasting life,

with the boxer’s name on it.