An Ether

Past the fountain out of repair
And the boarded diner

A small studio
You’ d never told anyone about

Where old clothes have remained
Right where you’ ve dumped them

Side by side
With random notes and sketches

When someone close to you
Has a different idea of what you represent

He insisted
You’ ll write a check for the loan

There were other misjudgments
As well. Exits were being blocked

Down every hall I walked

Until a sort of muscle memory —
Well, I knew it all along, of course,

But thought it was in the future,
It rested like a memory —

This desire
For a place respecting anonymity

Oiling your.38 Special,
Like a criminal readying for benefits

A bottle of Jack Daniels —

This and more

Shaded by echoing buildings
With a glance toward the harbor

The water rough with small debris
Today