There was a man on the bus
who talked on his cell phone to an unseen face
explaining how to cook pork chops
(just salt, that is what I use. Or squeeze lemon!)
He talked about not having taken a vacation
in over two years.
The train conductor has a red beard and sunglasses
and a large silver earring.
As he collects tickets, he passes me several times.
He asks if I am writing him a letter, then says,
“I never get letters, just angry slurs.”
So many of these suburbs have little historical sites.
“Well #2, drilled 1924”
Europe and China would laugh at our youth.
I have seen two buildings that look like
landlocked lighthouses.
The municipal buildings and town halls
all manage to look like funeral homes.
(white columns, red brick, and black iron lightposts)
I love my city…even the extended parts of it.
