Two blocks down on the corner of 9th & ocean,
I can hear a hurried ambulance whistle
But I feel safe sitting Indian style in this
vast bed of ancient sand, permanently
warmed from it's time in the sun
I can hear the muffled whine of a baby crying
in some cheap motel a quarter mile east from here
But I feel like the only human awake tonight
My heart skips a beat with the rhythm
of the current as the night casts it's shadow
over this ***** Jersey city
I fall in love with nothing in particular
There's an amusement park sleeping
at the edge of the boardwalk, west
All of the lights look like floating neon clouds
reflecting in the dark sea that tosses before me
The Ferris wheel, towering over everything
reminds me that this world is endless
and my arms are not as big
as they feel to me, sometimes
I am the only person on Earth tonight
And perhaps I matter
I can taste the salt in the air
It leaves a stale tingling on my tongue
I draw focus to the lingering scent of
funnel cake and nicotine that swallows this place
And I know I'll be okay
There are a sneaker's footprints that lay
perfectly parallel to a set made with bare feet
heading toward the pier
I'm walking beside them and wondering
if they were here together
Or if they followed the marks of each other
In a lonely wandering stroll, much like me
Maybe they're just like me