town decree

a free verse poem

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the next town i move to
needs a library
that allows unhoused folks
to sleep in the streetside windows

it needs to have a mechanic
wearing grungy coveralls
who sets his Hamm’s on the air filter
to lean in for a better look

and it must support its hippies
who barter organic goods
by buying from them at regular intervals
whether land shrimp or loofahs

the next town i move to
needs to book real metal shows
those with enough speed and gore
to keep the jocks away

it should have a reptile petting zoo
pumpkin patches with chainsaws
and indoor climbing without rigging
to give children memorable injuries

and it must have a lookout point
that the adults plainly ignore
so the teens can screw with certainty
to the radio sounds of the day

the next town i move to
needs lore about haunted train tracks
girls who kill a playmate for kicks
to imply there are bodies everywhere 

it should have pride celebrations
not just the regular kind
but also the pagan and autistic kinds
to ensure there are plenty of parades

and it must have old people
grandmas tirelessly pulling weeds
bitter old men watching from cafe benches
to remind the rest their day is coming

the next town i move to
needs a single fistfight every few years
that gets brought up in social circles
to simultaneously enjoy and admonish

it should have paint classes
that are fronts for wine bars
that are secretly hubs for singles
to hook up if the moment moves them

and it must make room
for the dreamers to give it their shot
with rodent dioramas, sculpted shrubs, and Noir zines
to inspire future placards in odd places

the next town i move to
needs to find that one thing
spiked collar factory or world’s biggest sandal
to place them in an AAA travel brochure

it needs to have a poetry workshop
with a crackpot town laureate
who leads disorganized slams in the square
to encourage spellbound day-trippers

and the next town i move to
must have a cardinal rule
that we leave each other the hell alone
to do all the magnificent things that we do

Thank you for reading.