Cut into irregular wedges,
the first McIntosh
of the season
crunches just right,
tastes perfect

as the Brooklyn Bridge
subway station logo
with its two B’s
backing into each other
Janus-faced. The journey

goes both ways:
Manhattan to Brooklyn,
Brooklyn to Manhattan.
This first apple
could be my last.

How many people die
on their birthdays—
a question backs into an exclamation.