Queer Street (P.O.O.#3)

Psychogeography of Old Oakland #3

The block shows its respectable side by day,

Adorable tech firms and lawyers serving landlords

The delivery trucks tell their own tale

Attractive when evening falls,

Security ensured by constant private patrols

 Money-losing shoppes,
frou-frou pop-ups

A prestigious location for the new gentry

A stately and eminently respectable address,

On the ground floor an au courant restaurant

Nights present a different atmosphere,

Nightclubs pump-up aggressive beats,

Pimped-out cars menace the cross-walks,
An air of potential violence hangs in the air

Beneath the grotesques heads of this ornate building

Security guards congregate like more gangsters

Old world charm with a pricey coffee franchise,
A busy supermarket around the back,

And quite a few places to get a drink

This one's for connoisseurs
Of Belgian-style strong beer

This one has old movies from Mexico
With the sound turned off,
A large selection of  tequila on offer

You may come to after closing time,

Floating around the hammered tin ceiling,

Moderation is advised

With alcohol it's really a toss-up,

Once you're really lit
Things can go either way

Wind up on an permanent voyage
In a small cabin 

Sur le bateau ivre

.

Or on the road to a cot in a shelter

Upstairs from a little shop open late
On a side street in the Twilight Zone

You may become a tragic memory 

on the Day of the Dead

Perhaps you'll just go on as always,

A shadow of yourself

 2013- 2014