Rejoice or Withdraw

The street livers smoke seabreeze outside The Lonely Mermaid

where their naked drinks lay waiting on a bed of peanut shells.

The sea laps against the shore hundreds of meters away

but they haven’t felt the water in years.

It reminds them too much of youth.

Instead they walk in packs blaring (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay

finding street art and defiling it with spray-painted tags

that they should strain to remember but will never forget,

which would make the artists rejoice or withdraw.