Weekly Poem: Rachel Zucker reads ‘wish you were here you are’

Rachel Zucker reads her poem “wish you were here you are” from her new collection “The Pedestrians.”

wish you were here you are

time isn’t the same for everyone there is
science behind this when you fly into space
you’re not experiencing time at the same rate
as someone tethered to Earth & someone
moving quickly experiences time at a slower rate
even on Earth so as I run through Central Park
at a speed not much faster than walking but slightly
I am shattering fields of time around me
& experiencing time differently from those I pass
last night I saw my son’s adult self &
in the same moment toddler self this really
happened he was playing “Wish You Were Here”
by Pink Floyd on his electric guitar & feeling it
he’s 11 & in between 2 kinds of time on the verge
of worlds I think we are too you & I who are old
young women it’s not all ‘downhill from here’ we are
here you are & I am & this beautiful moment our sons

“The Pedestrians,” a collection of prose and poetry, is Rachel Zucker’s ninth book. She has published several books of poetry, including “Museum of Accidents,” which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She also recently authored a memoir, “MOTHERs.” She is a 2013 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Zucker currently teaches poetry at New York University.