Dave Bringhurst

Black Eucalyptus fronts a red striped sky

Old-time motel from days gone by

Flowers in the courtyard, grass is still green

Folks that run this place keep the swimming pool clean

 

On a night like this all warm and calm

We’ve got plum trees and we’ve got a palm

The wood is old but the paint is new

I could swear that I’m in Honolulu

 

As the sun goes down I spy a cat

Struttin’ past the light spilled from the laundromat

Neighbor in a dress sweeps the balcony

Maybe she’ll come say hi to me

 

Pale white lights come on all by themselves

The pool’s a turquoise on a cement shelf

It’s been an hour since I’ve seen any birds

Mama soothes her baby using Spanish words

 

Holed up in the last resort

Where tourists used to stay on their way north

Once it was for fun

Stopping here on the 101

But now it’s just somewhere to run

 

There’s that cat lookin’ up at me

He stops to scratch like a dog with a flea

He rubs himself up against my leg

He may be hungry but he’s too proud too beg

 

We both hear a lone trumpet play

It’s coming from a Mexican café

Around the corner, smellin’ pretty good

I guess I better rustle up some food

 

I’m getting used to being alone

And this run down inn starts to feel like home

Maybe I will be okay

All by myself, every day

 

I just want to make a friend once in a while

Twice a day, catch a pretty smile

And if it’s not asking too much

Now and then, a loving touch