city heat

The days are hot, and I walk through this city in flip flops until my feet turn black.

At night I strap on an apron and feed people's need for cold white wine and shaken martinis.

I use my tips from bartending to go out for lunch and feed my need for beautiful food.

After work I spend most nights with my beau.

Lying in bed he asks, "Are you happy?"

"Most of the time," I answer.

He says he can tell that some days I just want to get up and run away. He reads me well.

As happy as I am I crave adventure and the thrill of the unknown.

I crave city streets I don't know, a different language on my tongue, and freedom from the confinements of everyday life.

But life is good, and I'll walk down these dirty sidewalks until my dreams becoem realities and take me elsewhere.

Travel awaits me this summer, school awaits me in the fall, and a life of uncertainties await me in my future.

All of that is enough to keep me going.