My feet splayed wide
In front blue doors embossed in white
Steel plated portals concealing
Most mundane sights as I passed by
Men and women scurrying
Though mostly sitting transiently.
Ghosts of day chased away
By neon signs that light the night
Glowing to life as silence of stillness
Bites deep into bone,
Lingering as the eye sweeps city darkness
Transfixed by baubles of towers striking starless sky –
Whispers of promise of greatness someday.

All is silent now as I reflect
On deeds of the day
Done by those who’ve scurried away.
Away to forget, away to escape
The days and days of gray,
Different yet same suffering returns,
Borne with indifference, suppressed hope
Flowers not to fruition.
Those beer halls and dance halls
Provide respite to tired senses,
Overwhelm them with stimulation
Drown them in torpor.
Drown them in bliss.
Drown them in release –
From endless cycle.

I see it stretch horizon to horizon
Black infinity, no release
Nothing above, nothing below
The path stretches only forward –
Familiar backdrop, grayest of grays
Beyond which lies a mirage,
What I don’t know, but oh
How comforting that dreariness
That comes entwined in dread.
Dread of what’s ahead,
Escape from what’s behind
Ignorant above and below.  
Dread, escape from dread
Suspended only, as deserved –
A tropical vacation.