Poem: Cabbage With a Hint of Skunk

I smell this smell whenever I come here
I know they smell it too
That reek of piss and grime and
Sadness
That desperation for nickels and dimes to
breath new life into forgotten
balloons and mothy suits

She smells it too
I know it
A flowered skirt and large sunglasses
That are just
Reflective black veils for other faces
Pump up shoes
Step over the chewing gum
As you walk into that Starbucks.

Two bright eyes in the darkness
The tunnel of sparceness
And brand spanking new chrome
We all wanted
No more smell
Of lower class hell
Just air conditioning
with automated bells
New red seats
Judgemental feet
Packed Hilfiger bags
And bamboo thread sheets.
So soft
Like sleeping on a cloud
So soft and silky
It holds you like your mother never could
Just let your troubles drift away
Wash all your problems down the drain
- Peter