mosquito bites,porch lights,bending taps for late night fights,hungry for something,like a friend once said,lay awake all night in my broken bed,empty office buildings,cracks in the wall,I wonder how far down I might fall,can't grasp the essence,only feel the resistance,can't feel the love,only feel the distance,a house in the country,a house in the city,fat wallets, trophy titty,getting old, feelin' shitty,don't know what it means,a diamond ring or just a block of cheese,old newspapers and a set of keys,midnight rainstorm,and a pain in my knees,dark clouds and a full moon,homeless drunk below,shadow boxing the breeze.
golden evening sun behind cigarette smoke veils, dry cleaner blows rings beneath his flickering neon sign, humid box house, hustle pants, shirts, table cloths, dresses, shouting orders, loud, stop-start languages, the push-out, the pull-in, elastics and pins, fluids and steam, cash machine drawer hammers open-shut-open-shut, take a penny, leave a penny, bad teeth behind a forced smile, starched collars, cuffs and dreams, tough go at $1.50 a shirt, microwave noodles and a smoke for lunch, cousin deep in steam, uncle covers the counter, hauling, pressing, folding, bending, flattening, de-greasing, un-staining, lifting, piles and piles of hangers, throw it up on the rack under paper and plastic, slap on a ticket, quick call to the wife at home with the baby, sweat beads in shop heat, swinging door bell dings, next customer in from the street, 10 years from home, everyday struggle, but the baby has a doctor and some medicine, clean clothes and possibilities... twist the sign, lock the door beer and late-night TV, sink into a hard sleep, until the sirens of the morning.
