lying on a bed beneath an open window on a dark summer afternoon , the darkness of storm , the rain coming in on my legs , i look up at the trees through a window and hear rock and roll music from the distance mingle with the thunder and the swoosh of cars on the wet asphalt and all these things remind me of london , a lifetime ago , sitting in the room , looking up at the curtains blowing into the room , hearing miriam mekeba and the city rain bouncing with a light sound off the pavement and there i was remembering new york and when i went back to new york i remembered london , back and forth in time , my memories round in circles : riding my bike in a maryland suburb near the university at dawn remembering the mornings i rode my bike around the bronx remembering rome .