ASTRO-ODE;

A bit early in the season for a twelve dollar
beer and fried starch products.
Albino pigeon amongst the gulls-

They are DEMOLISHING childhood as we know it.

Astro Land shadow. How I miss your neon buzz.
Replaced by the moaning of jackhammer death.

BoardWalk Away from the destruction.

Junk Yard Dog- you don’t belong here..
Among these relics of America.
Once Upon A Time,
Before they tore out your guts and laid them in blue dumpsters.
Before they dared to dream you better.

“Crypto-Fascists!”, I cry!
That sounds better than,
“Fucking Commies! Stop destroying my youth!”

The smell of summer beach still faint in dirty hepatitis winter bathroom stalls
without locks or toilet paper.
Why did they leave us these pockmarked slabs of concrete where
Americana past once reigned, bright and luminous against twilight.
Cotton candy teddy bear dreams of long ago.

You can leave the Wonder Wheel up.
You can spare the Cyclone.
But I know. You’re trying to kill us.

Drive the thrill junkies out to Play Land.
Let them eat fried dough heart attacks
beneath the empty eyes of the Dragon Coaster.

I bought my ticket. Where’s my ride?

Gutted haunted house. Ghosts in the sand.
Don’t let your dog crap on the shores of Young Americas future,
Sallow face haunting rocky sidewalks.
Hypodermic Haven for the lost neo-post-pre-apocalyptic
Sword Swallowers.

SHOW ME SERPENTINA IN THE FLESH!
O Human Blockhead! How I want to buy your tee shirt!
Flip Flop Panama Jack Pilgrims
to a wholly, holy Mecca.

Flock of oversized sunglasses perch before
grease painted signs of mystery and promise.
They shut down our Museum.
They took away our Merry-Go-Round
and wrapped the pink elephants in body bags, my love,
and started drilling.

STORE FOR LEASE, signs shout
SOULS FOR SALE.
GET YOUR LAST STOP SECOND CHANCE SOUVENIRS HERE!
SHAKE SHACK SHIMMY, BEACH BLANKET BINGO!!

It’s too cold to swim, but the local Polar Bears are here.
Drinking beer and eating hot dogs.
I suppose global warming has forced them further than we’d thought..
Things are changing.

We walk, gathering sweet simple sand in our winter boots.
All around us, they are caging up our dearest innocence
and hauling it all away.
Bulldozer among my giant plastic bumble bees..
A thorn amongst my wilting roses.

Prest-o-Change-o, automatic illusion.
They’ll steal this out from under us and give us houses we can’t afford to live in
with ugly door men and pretentious decor.
Just you watch.

And, O, Fortuna! They’ve torn down the walls to your parlor!
And your harlot wall paper is showing!
Where is your crystal ball now?
We should have seen this coming.

Turn a blind eye to the sun set,
We walk into the wind.
Even the cheese on your pizza would curl up and blow away
in this cold embrace of abandonment.
At the end of the line.
Out here on the edge of the universe.
Amidst the mechanical carnage falling all around us.
In a sea of modern decay.

Compelled by this sense of loss
we rush the gift shop and gobble up
florescent knick knacks and
brightly colored bikini madness.
Touch everything fingertips spit pennies from our pockets
to buy back a piece of our grace from corporate america take over chaos.

Fall away candy cane striped banners of hope,
and bold black brush stroked letters on white washed walls.
Melting soft serve ice cream memories
tossed into rubbish bins with the rest of our self respect.

Cellphone snapshots don’t do the day justice.
The ride home bops to i-pod tunes of summer rhythms.
I dream of youth. And love. And loss.
Salvation seems far away.