“Room with No View”

One day walking past I wonder 
why there are red bars on the roof.

Until someone tells me 
it’s a correctional facility.

And then, ​oh,​ ​I see​, I say
that the cage-like enclosure is their outdoor space.

Chicken wire keeps them perched above Central Park 
And a view anyone would kill for, and probably has.

It overlooks Harlem Meer, the peaceful water 
and playground noises below.

But down they go to their rooms
with boarded-up windows, barred from the world —

Just inches beyond a door which leads to the 
biggest green space in Manhattan.

Would it make a difference, I wonder,
that your room could have an incredible view?

Maybe it’s better not to know.