Divisadero

i remember long days and nights
when i sat beneath your shadow
drunk with stupidity
and blinded by flashing lights

you pelican of shackles
bracing me for what is to come
in the form of lies, betrayal and rage
i never thought my knees would bend
no, not in that way

my thoughts bent into ellipses
struggling to pull it together
like an old man
straining his neck, tongue and face
trying to form words out of nothing

i say to myself, "it was only a city."
but i can't shake the romantic memories
of late night walks through your
dampened alley ways and side streets
as i saddled up to the unknown

i said "hello"
you ignored me
just like everyone else
but i shouted your name
it echoed through the palm trees
until it crashed against the leaves
and fell back down to earth

just like i did
in 2010