day-glo thoughts for my fl peoples
She wrote me a note,
tossed nonchalantly
as she walked away.
Fluorescent pink pen,
"are you okay?"
That's all it needed to say.
There once was a time when the world seemed huge.
Best friends were gone if they moved
to outside Sacramento.
We didn't even have the internet then.
Have we gotten old and I didn't notice?
I'm still holding onto a little bit
of that neon green fanny pack innocence.
I guess maybe i'm spoiled; I know I am,
that I can afford to think of you.
There's not much else to stay up about.
I think it was you guys
who managed to sink a paddle boat at Darien Lake.
That's kind of how life has been ever since:
Paying our three bucks
and then sinking into the middle of a man-made lake,
filled with man-sized carp.
At least we'll never suffer for lack of a story to tell.
Each time, our hope is refilled,
like Sherry coming by with more coffee.
And each time, inevitably,
finding ourselves face to face
with the speckled bottoms of our mugs.
Nothing left to do but start over.
And so I'd write it in the stars,
if I could have my way,
so you would read it wherever you are-
"are you okay?"
and you could shout away your troubles
into the night sky.