J.Edse

Here Before They Were

A can of pepsi

at a train station
has a stamped date
 
some say it’s 1995
others say it’s 1955
no one knows
except the man in the corner
 
the one who has been there
the whole time
ever since this place was built
playing his forgotten songs
reciting his verses
behind his dark glasses
the bricks are his.
 
on a wet floor
waiting on a train
a ticket to nowhere
that never comes.
he’s lonely
but his own company
is always preferable.
 
a transport to mystery
the rest of the world
and the truth
can set him free
 
musical bojangles
shiny sequins dancing
and the man is happy
 
drifting
into oblivion
never to see again
or be seen
 
it’s a spell
only some can learn
just the fortunate ones.