The Bread Shop Stop

The scent of change

Came at 4 AM

I rolled over in my bed

“When was the last time

I smelled the fresh bread”

At this point I was completely

In my head

I knew the change was coming

The bakery was on its way out

I still had one small shriveled doubt

Maybe the planned buyout

Was not as good of a plan

They would develop a alternate route

As I lay awake

Thinking

It had been at least a week

So I cracked the curtain to take

A quick peek

The burnt carmel building

Was at a complete standstill

I could see this from

My windowsill

Never again would the smell of

Fresh bread bellow

Down Manhattan Avenue

It was a nice offset to bus exhaust

But now it is lost

Lost

Gone

I am new here

I own that I have very airy feelings

Where others die-cast old love

Would feel it in there hearts much above

I can remember

When my wife and I stopped in

Knocked on the door

A man came out from within

Gave him a 5 spot and

Us a loaf

We stood on the corner

Eating it whole

The memory was the brightest

Of the few short lived time

But the old place is gone

Make way for the condos

Pack it up and move on

Ignorance of Conscience

Once a wonderer

Now forever lost

Is possible to go far

And near

Yet never be settled

Running from love

Hope

Fear

It’s a game of chess

With no pieces

Or what is there

Must be interpreted

No meaning

No beginning

No end

I don’t understand

I can’t

When one lusts for every moment

Every fleeting thought

Nothing becomes concrete

No desire

Objectifying

Denying any sense of self worth

For what its worth

To claim ignorance

Fleeting thoughts from ones conscience

Delay rather than develop

Bringing all but hell up

With the loved ones around

It seems low

The life keeps swirling down

I ask

Futile in my attempts

So sometimes I just wonder

What is once a wanderer

Can be now

Forever lost

Unconscious Desiring; An Ode

Unconscious desiring

Subconscious manifesting

Hoping on some dream

Of breaking out of the cycle

Money in

Money out

Dinner bought

Rent Owed

I wish to make it out

Even to the middle class

But these days

Not even the middle class

Can pass

The boundary

Set up in our system

Of class

The city tells me there is no middle

Either you own

Or are owned

There is not much between

The filthy rich

And the much lesser known

Hustling makes you feel alright

But SOMETIMES

It just is not enough

To get you off the ground

For a bigger flight

So my ode is this

I’m not trying to hit it big

Or swig Courvoisier from the jar

I’m just trying to get by

With a little extra to put away

Living for today

So this is my ode

I have nothing more to say

Cost Driver

What drives cost
The cost maker
Takes us passenger
Recklessly driving
Swerving
No idea what where we are
Or were we are headed
Corporate HQ wants to know
How it can keep
Every penny free
Food becomes commodity
Consumed by you and me
The cheaper it is
The less I recognize
What it is I consume
They will be selling air
At higher margins
Very soon
I’m just trying to make rent and stay alive
While the money type
Keep costs low
On this reckless drive

Ambles

Late night rambles

turning my mind into scrambles

leaving me in shambles

It is terrible

I am tired

It is late

Why do I put off sleep

procrastinate

prolongate

something that should be shortened

to a simple task

the computer breathes for me

keeps me going

all this and no real knowing

if it really does anything at all

my mind is scrambled

and my eyelids are about to fall

Boiled Noodles

Boiled noodles midnight in Michigan
My hunger has me going again
Boiling water and some salt will do
Just something to get me through
Water bubbles quick and constant
Soften up the noodles please
From the small pan emits the steam
The refrigerator buzz keeps me awake
Constant hum for god sake
Shut that thing off or turn it down
It is the only thing that I can hear now
Filling up my ears with constant buzz
Keeping the food safe and cool
Mind wandering through pantries and closets
To fill my stomach
Sitting quirky in the kitchen den
Back to waiting for those noodles again

Chain Restaurant Waitress

Some scribbles I wrote down after a decent meal. It was at a chain restaurant, one I have not been in in over 4 years. Needless to say I was very skeptical about the whole experience, as I am an avid supporter of local food and goods. However I was taken back not by the food or the atmosphere, but by the generosity and the attitude of the waitress. Which reminded me that the most important aspect to any recipe be it local food or chain food – the human element can make up for so much lost. So I wrote a free form poem about it. Enjoy!

There is a waitress who will go out of her way to make people happy

No real investment in the comfy chairs the executive sits in or the bottom line

She just wants to make people happy when they dine

Bringing out all the joy and happiness from the capitalists

Or a lack thereof

Wanting to make her customer’s happy bringing water and food

Laughs carelessly to all the patrons in the room

Leaving one feeling happy and hopeful

Soothing and caring

Her beauty is often forgotten in these bland commercial chains

Not tonight she is a beauty to behold

A true delight

Feeling much better when she says goodnight