Northwest

I woke up on the 16th floor

Torrential rains continued to pour

To the north an isolated track

For those who wouldn’t be coming back

The sidewalks harboured those who saw

Passers-by and trees to thaw

Wind chill and sunlight 

Preparation for the night

Laying now under the stars

Faintly slipping between the bars

Wooden houses line the streets

Among week-old discarded receipts 

The Dalles lingered not far away

Drifting, drifting through the day

The city flowing through itself

Grasping at a sense of self

Binary sidewalks spread around 

What we’d lost but never found

Waking up on the 16th floor

As torrential rains continued to pour