Cable

Lotto tickets scattered
in the street,
all losers to be sure,
but there’s a hitter
out there somewhere
in the branches.

A girl wades
in the stream
waist deep to get
closer to a turtle
she caught a glimpse
of from the shore.

Ivy creeps up the side
of old buildings
no one lives in,
space abundant for
the dogs.

Airplanes fly low
and don’t go as far,
but you can smoke again,
and the wings still shine
like old times when
they’re banking toward
the sun.

A bird hidden by glare
perches on a power line.
The ocean chews the coast.
Another fight breaks out
among the workers.

On the other side
she peels her clothes off
so they dry,
and knows the way back
just by following
the cable.

Shots rain from the catwalk
splitting faces in the pulsing mob.
Some fire back although
the worst is here but still.

A man shackles
himself to the machine
and through the steam
and static screams,
no matter how this ends,
tonight we go together.