23rd ave at clement

i drive out here at 8pm to see a dresser from craigslist.

sweet country music is wafting from el grande produce where small asian ladies are shopping for fruit on the sidewalk. i am parked in front a pyschic palmreader store with a life size golden balinese staue in the window. underneath it an adorable chihuahua stands on his hind legs, looking out. an older man wearing a cowboy hat sitting outside a little market with fancy bongs in the window whistles at his friend across the street. his friend comes over and they sit on a bench and pass a bowl to each other in the dusk. a toddler is laughing and talking in spanish pointing at the japanese toys in pui may houseware's storefront. an attractive blond couple walks by deep in conversation, arms around each other's waists. two sweaty young asian men cross the street talking about a teaching credential. a billboard advertising the genghis khan exhibit watches over us all.

and i instantly like the man selling the dresser. we talk for about half an hour and then he drives the dresser across the city and carries it up my stairs. he and his wife and their one-year-old are contemplating leaving the city for somewhere smaller, easier, where they can set up a little collective and sell furniture and art. or maybe they will stay if they can work it out.

everybody here is fast asleep. goodnight.