Details

a poem

the wooden porch is falling down
and the neighbors haven't noticed
the back patio light is out
and the kids aren't even aware

he walks to the convivence store
to buy his scratchers with his winnings
from the poker game with the boys
downgraded from the twenties to the tens

he gets the store brand smokes
and the funny named soda
only one chicken salad sandwich (hold the fries)
and he got a new belt from the Salvation Army

and the neighbors haven't noticed
that he figured out how to stuff
two bags into one of the yellow city bags
and he just goes out right before

the other day he was walking under 
the Green street bridge and he saw
a friend from high school
and they didn't make eye contact

there is a verse in the Bible
that the church people love to quote
'for God loves a cheerful giver'
and he tries to smile as he hands over the five

but it hurts him deeply
and yet he is affirmed
and he continues his walk
alone to the library

he sits down and checks his email
and there is a girl he used to date
when he worked at Strawberries
who sits in the library most days

there was a night on the common
and they danced under the stars
and now in a world of burning dreams
they sit in enclosed municipalness

the books smell like recycled vellum
and the ink is lasered in
he thinks about the dollar coffee
in the gift shop but shakes his head

and he heads home
it is a balmy 65 in early May
and he walks, seeing all the potholes
they really are growing he thinks

and he wishes he had an old iPod
and that his sneakers were newer
and that his job would keep him
instead of whatever, whoever they replaced him with

and the stock market hit a new high
and the stock market hit a new high
and the stock market gets high
and the stock market loves weed

and the neighbors haven't noticed
they have taken up mushroom gummies
and recently bought an old VHS
and a bunch of old movies

he sits by the window of the patio
and listens to the sounds of Bogart
and he imagines that he called her Betty
and that she called him Bogie