Familiar Places

Blunt noises, cold chills
Falling frying pans, air-conditioned environments
The smell of cheap perfume, burnt coffee
Carried by thousands
Taken to work,
Taken to the beach
Taken to your child’s school play,
to hang in the stale gymnasium air
Taken to sleep at night

Various conversations, catching key statements
“There is this movie with a walrus banging a cat… ”
“What did you expect, you did get married in Vegas…”
“Fat free?”
In this place?
Cheeseburgers coated in catsup and mayonnaise

The mind’s function flawed
Incomplete thoughts rush past
Running through hallowed caves of inspiration
Crashing and merging together
I pled with them, beg them
To stay and comfort me.
But their philosophy lacks empathy

Smoke dances in the air before my face
Imitating the figure of man
Broad shoulders, semi-muscular build
Flexing biceps to impress the other tables.
He forgot about the fan
Which promptly pulls him to shreds
Taking every last piece
Leaving only a gentle haze of ruminants

Maybe I can order a cocktail
Gin straight – with a lime
The waitress could use a drink too
“Can I make that two?”

Sharp hypnotic noise from the counter
Music fades into talk radio.
Dr. Laura trying to help a 14-year-old girl
Decide on her confusing sexuality
The child’s parents listening from their bedroom
“I sure am glad that’s not my kid”
What brought me here?

On the road for days
Ravaging the county
A few moments to clear my head
But now that I’m here sitting
On the fake leather upholstery – it seems trivial
Shelter couldn’t be the only reason
This place has something more

Giving life to a world vastly beyond the image
Where water cascades from pinnacles
In all directions
A landscape littered with mangoes and wallaby’s
Every aspect confirming that this is the one place
In the universe where true harmony can exist
Without being tainted by human thought
Completely controlled by human thought

A characteristic built into these smoke stained walls
All the empty tables ghosting an eerie feel
Nothing changes about this place
The same emotions each time
Rushing in, refilling a part of me
Needing replenishment
Living the lives of those who have been here before me
Soaking up everything they’ve been taught
Learning from all their mistakes

A chaotic jazz fueled instrumental pours from the speakers
No one acknowledges the change
Too caught up in stocks and baby stroller
To take notice of the simple things that make life worth living
Fast paced lives often miss
The beauty preserved, looking closer