It's an annual Allen Ginsberg tradition - it's the flowering kousa dogwood, planted in his honor, by friends and supporters at the St Mark's Church (his"church" - home to the venerable St Mark's Poetry Project - ("The Poetry Project burns like red hot coal in New York's snow", Allen once wrote) - and flowering each year, right around this time (perfect natural timing) on his birthday - although this year it's been a pretty tough winter/an alarmingly late spring - (notwithstanding, you can still see those little white flowers brazenly peeking out).
Check in with our previous kousa dogwood postings here, here, here and here.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALLEN!