all up & down
5th street there are
peep shows
coffee shops
liquor stores
& fresh tattoos that glow
on the pale
february bleached flesh
of girls
& all the skinny caramel lattes
are clutched too tight
even though they are hotter than
the august pavement
& everywhere you go
along east 3rd street
the cell phones are screaming
to be released from
all of the pockets
purses
& glove compartment coffins
while a roving pack of mimes
stalk the corner of 4th & main
peddling
thespian nightmares
in a symphony of silence
so loud
it sounds like propaganda
& all the yellow
slowly leaks
from the sun
as i sit in the café
across the street
murdering myself
one cigarette
at a time.

– Brian Fugett