City Blues

And the night comes on And the heat dies down And the city sprays beams of light into space Looking very much like a giant, glowing pineapple I throw open the window Unknown birds on rooftops And rooftops set against the radiant sky So this is where people live People live, breathe and die in this place Keep their own little pills In their little holes Little holes of enormous appetite Shouting at passers by from windows high above the street Threatening to take a step of hot blood against the setting sun Until they are finally brought to sleep and we can rest You alone carry the weight of your body And the night comes on And the heat dies down I am alone I have a key for a hotel room And I used to have a home I just arrived from someplace else And upon arrival I saw from inside of the aluminum fish The city lay silent Silent And glowing with a veil of chemicals Reaching the very face of the moon I was glad I didn't live down there And sad that I had to keep coming back I walk up streets and down streets And I go to all the familiar places No I do not recognize anybody I search the bars for little salty portions of friendship But they are all long gone You alone carry the weight of your body So I start walking It is a painful walk I try walking in front of people I try walking the proud walk of the ancient poet I alone went out to meet the sea And the wave was breaking right there Right there at my chest of fine marble But this is only partly making sense I am pursued by the snake of solitude By the time I head on back for the hotel You alone carry the weight of your body The words enter my mind a third time As I lock the door behind me Feeling that I had come in from the rain I am lucky to have this room I am lucky to ... of dawn I will undress And I will pack my bags before I go to sleep You alone carry the weight of your body There are colorful lights at the very fresh ... of sleep Now this thing has an imagination of its own