22

i was really living then
paying my own rent
on time & in full

tipping the delivery man
without digging for coins in old pockets

i prayed often
in the back of cabs
at movie theaters
& down supermarket aisles

it was the year
i adhered to magazine dating tips
only drank jack & coke at the bar
& wore lots of black

the year
i got dumped
in barcelona
& cried on the first bench I saw
on passeig de gràcia
​
pain was still a small
undiscovered island
& solitude its currency.