Portland Ghost
His voice calls to me through the darkness
softly,
at my ear
the whispered words telling
of a life i've only imagined.
his life is echoed
among these streets,
meanings strewn among blocks
and parks and names and places;
an entire book as a city
which no one can ever read.
often have i dreamed
of finding him here
on the bus,
eyes glued to the rain
trailing down the window
or on a sidewalk
head down eyes averted
trying to get to a place
where everything is okay.
as i wander i wonder,
was he here? is he here?
in life, would he have liked me?
questions with no answer.
an eternity of possibilities
listed down his arm
grace my unanswerable questions with