city don’t sleep

music is over

floor sticky

hat upside down

glitter run down from tears

plate unused

piano keys greasy

piano man plays guitarist's strings

wood reflects light

thick with varnish

people i danced with

whose names i don't know

disappear

girl with blonde hair black dress

says she's from georgia 

the country

then says goodnight

people in colorful dresses

old crop tops 

my hat upside down

empty like my pockets

my tips from busking flipped

a few people compliment my dancing

i stare at the wine menu, dirty

i come down

phone is dead

notebook bookmark is yellow

warm and silky on the table

keyboards unplug

neon lights bright

brick walls old

ginsberg's grey eyes look back

from the polished wood

i wonder if he sat in this booth

stared at these bricks

woman in glitter body suit

easter european accent

says i'm a cafe wha? virgin

laughs says come back

she's here all the time

wish i had the money

you can still live like the beats

just not as broke as some of them

takes rich to turn back time

i feel married to this booth

when i leave i say goodbye to tonight

have to figure out way home

'i don't know where we're going'

someone says

me neither

i like watching them pack up

reminds me of california nights

makes me feel like i can get

packed up too and go home with them

i put worries in the bag around my neck

with a guitar pick and a piece of string

light dusts off the door

someone says they're closing up

piano keys look morose to be zipped up

and so does the street as i step

out into the darkening pavement