“They Close at Dusk”

There’s a man on the
Park stage
Asking for handouts
Of spare change
And cigarettes

In a “closed to the public”
Pavilion
An auction is taking place:
The parking lot is full

The man on the stage
Is drunk

Yells at whoever passes by
About what “used to be”
While a group of teens
In angst
Sit beneath a
Bathroom building’s awning
Smoking cherry vape and
Drinking beer from tall cans

A girl can be seen
In the library,
Shelving books

The air is a cold secret

The police have
An armored vehicle
Inside the station’s garage
Like the authorities knew
Of the paranoia
With the threat of mugging
Present every time
Someone walks by

People slowly trickle out
Of the auction
And the park

The park is soon closing

But it opens up real soon
After the library’s
Last call

For the after hours party