I thought people only lived here
in apartments and villas
but I discovered
life on the staircases
when both elevators broke down
and I had to climb 7 floors.
There I discovered
a community that meets
to smoke cigarettes
and exchange gossip.
I found a group
that airs their laundry
as they discuss Brazil,
Germany’s win
or the upcoming Eid.
There kids play and build stamina
going round and round and round
and cockroaches scuttle
in search of food and new frontiers.
There I huff and puff and think
If not for the broken elevators
would I even know about
the secret life of the stairwells
that forge bonds
unlike any other.
