Summer city valentine

The mattress is too soft and enforces bad habits
but indulge and relax, you will never be a
upright practically perfect eighteen-year-old Mariel Hemingway

and the city's too expensive and cruel, but rich
no place else for ruckus, even sick
so indulge and relax
and it's cheaper than Manhattan

Last time you started crying, and had to leave the theater

So this time we meet at the milkglass diner
where the waitress is shy and apologizes when she interrupts
and the food isn't good, or clean, but it is close
and I wish we could tell her "wait two weeks for the check"

but that's not why we came here, I just wanted to tell *you*
that you looked so great crossing the bridge at sunset
over the Humber
even on a rusty bicycle, hair a blowing grease fire
even drinking Corona mixed with ether
even with a cigarette and in dumb clothes

We finish our milkshakes and go home together
and it is, the streetcar tracks spreading wider, a rose