the end

©Audie Cleveland

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end

--Jim Morrison

...on to new beginnings

stopped

© Audie Cleveland

in the city of millions that vibrates with it's own heartbeat,

invisible becomes easy

hidden in the masses, seemingly gone forever

oh to disappear...

ending in the wrong places

filled with the wrong songs

masquerading as some happy tourist

lights twinkle and the traffic flows

milling the slochy streets

shoes too big, hat too tight

the flock of geese fly in perfect formation
slightly delayed in their mission
that glance, the familiar stranger
have we met before?

and at the end of the four car train

the scaly skinned lady listens to her voices

moved by the need, her harmonica begins to play

she smiles not knowing if her face is listening

return to the puddley sidewalks covered in stories

trudging through the tundra in search of cloves
gloveless hands shoved deep
onward goes the million mile walk to
faraway again