places such as these

places such as these

sad popcorn, buttery carnival

eyes, stalls of striped

amusement, a

ccordion

hands

waving with

fingers plunking change

into hats of buskers while the keyboard

gets tickled with french frenzy

the kissing booth sits

empty for a break

down or up

these are

sad

places

in a clown

full of cars at

intersections with

radios turned up,

cacophonies, flags flipping,

face painted with an island of

maps, a pirate's bird, the pair of sunglasses

blooming from giddy flushed

cheeks, a dirty dance with street

performers, i can tell

the secret now i

can say it for

certain this

place

is fertile

colorful and

tragic it is unlike

itself always the next

twist of the moon with ladders

and treetops you can tell it

to sleep or sleepover

or to slip away and

still it will

bubble

and pop it will

bubble

and blow

9.9.12