2nd Street Sidewalk - South

Old brown coat to the knees,
Sleeves too short.  Walking slowly
To the next light.  Third Street
Corner, tents and plastic.  Concrete
Cleaned by a night of rain.  Orange
Clouds in the morning reflect
In a pool across from a billboard
For Nike shoes, "Nike, es por tu!"

The air is sweet and clean
Untrimmed eyebrows and long hair
A week unshaven.  A deep
Breath and sigh.

The building is four stories
Painted brick, open windows
No curtains.  A door 
Opens on 3rd street but
Is boarded up.
Pigeons fly from the second
Story into an open window on 
The first.

Close the left eye, the
Right eye sees a quarter
On the wheelchair ramp
To the street.  Close
The right, the left
Sees stars and a gibbous
Moon.  The red sky streaks
Turn gray.
Time to turn around.

2nd Street Parking Lot

Light blue cotton exercise pants
Rolled up over the knees
Plastic bag, left hand
Pointing then scratching
White t-shirt, bony neck
Protruding forward
A turtle man. A fish staring
Into the world, below
The oxygen, above
Into a grayish mass of flying
Objects. Words 
On buildings, buses, taxis
Come, flying into the fish scaled
Head, parallel strings of a
Story that is indecipherable
And meaningful.

Snap the lighter
Cigarette smoke follows
Off, right hand waving
At the traffic light
Repeating, "they've ripped
Out the trees."