Observation Deck

From my perch on a barstool,

I have a perfect view of Van Ness,

Not the worst street, but one

With rougher edges than

I saw in Bloomington.

♦

I observe the spectacle that is

Pronto Pizza, open until 4am,

Enticing everyone

As it draws me in from here.

♦

Drunk visiting hipsters,

End a night of slumming their way

Through the Tendernob,

And wait for cabs to Russian Hill

Or some other more trendy space.

♦

Locals with no choice

Of neighborhood

Pick carefully through

Black and blue plastic

Containers, an eye out

For a rainbow of aluminum and glass.

♦

I can be found somewhere

In between

Still new, with nothing to occupy myself

But this observation deck

Of an Ikea table.