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.