DOWNTOWN AT DUSK
((8/3/06))
MY journey starts off in the public restroom at Borders where a woman is taking a shower in the sink. From there I descend the stairs to Starbucks where my coffee and friends wait. We move out to the patio where we sit in the hard Panera chairs. From here we rest after a long walk around the block and observe the sights and sounds of the [pretty] city. I observe the last of the afternoon sin kissing the corners of the buildings that surround us. People of all ethnicity pass by carrying small bags, large bags, briefcases, bouquets of flowers and a barrage of other things. City buses stop and load and unload passengers while filling the already dirty air with exhaust and other toxic gases. Shopkeepers pack up their produce quickly to get their day done. Bikers walk their bicycles past us as a homeless man fishes aluminum cans out of the garbage which he proceeds to crush and add to his [semi] lucrative collection. Another homeless man -slightly resembling Santa Claus - paces back and forth across the street while opening and closing his mouth in an obsessive-compulsive manner.
I hear city buses, amiable chatter amongst the streetwalkers, a giggle from a gaggle of girls sitting nearby, the near-silent whisper of sneakers [smooching] passing over the granite sidewalk, the trucks and wheels of a passing skateboarder, and jackhammers and drills from a nearby construction sight [zone]. The city stinks of old produce from the market that stood on the corner all day. The city also stinks of city bus exhaust and there is a subtle mingle of perfume from the passer-bys.
I taste my warm chocolate coffee and I am sent to “FLAVOR COUNTRY” from the nicotine from my Marlboro Medium cigarette.
I feel the slight breeze of the oncoming night, the subtle warmth from my large mocha coffee, the warm city air, the hard chair under my arse, and a tickling from the slight breeze pushing the stray hairs out of my face.
