Lift

Out here in the urban wilds
the wind goes "whoop" through buildings
while the sun plops down all over everything
at severe angles. The vacant lot of brown grass sways
a syrupy dance, undulating like hips
during a fuck. Heavy with rust, all the cars
creak over the dusty highway.
We drink snow coffee and pace
around the aluminum shed,
glancing at our reflections in
oily puddles to determine the effects
of the environment on our rush
through time. Gravity plays no
small part when we drop things.
In fact, it is because of gravity
that a baby can rest
on a knee without floating away.
By nightfall, the city is dark,
people stumble over curbs and cuss,
brushing themselves off, breathing
through rags dipped in lavender oil
to disguise the smell of the dark.
In the morning, we'll eat the things
that are least covered with gray carbon dust,
stopping between bites to blow dead skin
from the back of our hands. I am learning
to love the products of this environment.