Lunch Time

I come out from among
The buildings of concrete, brick, and stone,
Domain of the aristocrats of ambition:
Kingdom builders, gate keepers —
Hippies in remission;

Walking towards the Missouri
For a brief respite from competition and hurry,
With all of that behind me,
I exhale a cloud of smoke.

Turning back on that horizon,
I half expect to become
A pillar of salt.

• Brian Herman (2003)