Stars in the black night fade
A backdrop of nothing
Invisible behind all that can be seen
Under this canopy of lights
Rain falls
Drops of water
Flow along the canals
Created by my furrowed brow
Cold
Flowing
Drowning

I’ve been here before

This warm night
Where the dampness
Captures the air
In a slow motion frame
Cigarette smoke
Hangs
Seeking a second chance
And I breathe
The scent
The street
The life

I’ve been here before

Nights
Long ago
The restlessness of youth
On the warm pavement
And the smell of the rain
Tasting the smoke
Choking on the anxious moment
The want
The flesh
The smell

I’ve been here before

The feeling sweeps over me
Causing the racing heart
To quicken the feet
Puddle-splashing
Steps so lively
As the memories come rushing in
Lost in a curve
Off of a tangent
Gone
The nights
The times
The moments

I’ve been here before

Seeking the one
Finding but none
Memories captured in a scent
That brings me back
And the smoke still hangs
Clouding the air
Passes in the night
Just like the time
The youth
The nights
The moments

I’ve been here before

And the moments
Always end the same

Originally written February 11, 2009.