Dream Keys

Dream Keys by Odin Roark A NY mantra Rent the rentable Move the movable Key the keyable Apartments Four-wall-guardian of yesterday’s youth Vacuous cellmates of old age loneliness All part of a cyclic maze All having a key Urban life’s Rubik’s Cube turnover Today’s the day “Two rooms” “New paint” “Clean window” “No-squeaky floorboards” Superintendent loves to present Move in Keys Entrance door Mailbox Apartment Laundry room All yours A windowsill vase of plastic roses Your welcome of faded memories The window to the people below Your traveled city as roommate Through another glass darkly Gotta love it Pea green layering Over cracked and peeling bygones Your very own chipped-paint scrapbook A giant shoebox of ghostly images Once possessing your castle-keys Settle in Struggle Dream Survive Stand at your window Watch canyon updrafts Swirl your make-believe snowflakes Carrying them skyward Mixing with sparkling darkness Where every star is yours Count the days Where light to see Will be owned by neighboring towers Where former tenants came young Left old Where thrown cups and china Christened walls And confinement’s anger and tears Found solace in an ever inviting empty bathtub Where pounding fists Rattled bathroom door hinges While a child hid beneath a bed Smiling tearful thanks A wanderlust roach His ever-faithful friend All yours Here Where a Sammy Glick got started And an undergrad An engineer A Radical leftist A piano teacher All touched All turned All once secured your keys So Add your imprint Become tomorrow’s remembered page The scrapbook knows no end This is Manhattan Scenes will erupt Hysterics will rebirth Life will live Maybe live some more Then Your turn to pass the keys Your turn to pile worn memories at the curb Mattresses always appreciated Stand across the street Watch the ever-smiling Super Hand the keys to the next habitant And then… Go Never to forget your contribution Leaving behind another preparatory memory Allowing the coming year Your next season of imaginings To dream of another home Somewhere Waiting… Gifted with keyless entry? Loneliness gone?