Someone Stole the Street Sign

 

Someone Stole the Street Sign

 

(Happiness

Is a pretty stone,

skipping away across a lake.

 

A bus out of town,

But you're 5 seconds too early

Or 5 seconds too late.

 

A field of flowers,

In an April shower,

That you drove past at 70 mph.

 

Smelling only

The stale scent

Of Pinetree air-freshener

And regret.

 

Cold wind blows

Through all the holes,

In too thin coats,

And too thin soles,

And too thin souls,

On cracked concrete,

On empty streets,

In dead end towns.

 

In vacant lots

Ghosts play hide and seek

The wind cries

“Duck, duck, goose”

But mom never calls for supper

And dad never comes home from work

And nobody remembers who “It” is.

 

Through dirty windows

The glow of screens

Illuminates their tiny corpses,

Eyes and skull pried open,

Strange adult voices,

Spew racist slurs with their mouths.

 

A withered woman watches

A stranger pass,

Vice grip on her vice,

Toothless grin full of bite,

Her garden grows

Piles of smokes,

Like bitter dandelions

Along the sidewalk’s edge.

 

We're all strangers here

Strangers and beggars

Heads down

Hands out

Hollow cheeks

Dirty feet

 

Looking for happiness

In the bottom of cup

All we find

Is coins and bitter brew

And the words to a song

We thought we once knew.

“Ashes, ashes”

Like cigarettes and angels,

We all fall down.

 

This road winds like a river,

And the lost souls gather

At bus stops

The city forgot

 

To wait for Charon,

In his blue cap

And tired expression,

To ferry them

to their destination.

 

The bag lady sings,

"The wheels on the bus

Go round and round,

Round and round,

Round and round"

And she's the only one

Who smiles like she means it.)

 

It said

“Dead End”