Humankind's Struggle, Humankind's Love

I live on Shore Rd in Long Beach, but my condo doesn’t face the ocean; it faces North and a sea of rooftops.

From my terrace, I see the Manhattan skyline in fantastic sunsets,

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I see you wonderful people heading to the boards to bike, jog, push strollers, or just walk, alone, in pairs, or in groups.

I see the mailman going from high-rise to high-rise, dog walkers too.

I also see in the shingle-sea before me the repairs of roofs. Sometimes the roofing work is up close.

One summer, I saw men at work whose faces stayed with me long after the roof was finished. It's been burned into my mind just as the sun burned on them.

They labored hard in the heat, heaving, hoisting, bending, sweating.

Although I never met them, I recognized them as they worked.

It happened when they spoke to me from across Shore Rd.

Hear them, know them, as I did in Humankind’s Struggle, Humankind’s Love.

Be well,

Leebythesea