Belmont ave

My mom asked me how my day went.  I said "It was really good.  I feel better today than I have felt in a while.  One day at a time.  I'm sure I'll have rough days ahead of me but days like today make me feel hopeful.  I do love my life and this beautiful city."

Today was beautiful.  I woke up.  I ate breakfast alone with a cup of coffee made with rare beans.  They were randomly gifted to me by a South Philly friend who works at a coffee roasting factory.  Then Ricky joined me in my room and we giggled over people's online dating profiles until we woke up her girlfriend.

Then Keith and I enjoyed sangrias and mimosas outside on a bustling street in Northwest Philly.  We soaked up the sun and we were all smiles together.  We walked while tipsy down along the canal and watched turtles get pecked at by ducks.  Keith and I are so easily amused.  Then we went to West Philly, grabbed some ice cream, walked along Baltimore Avenue, wandered through a West Philly park, and headed home.  I stopped my car on Belmont Avenue on the way to write a poem.

Yesterday Keith and I drove up to New Hope.  We sat at an outside bar and drank beer while music blared over the loudspeakers and drag queens walked by (it was New Hope Pride).  We cruised with the top down on his Jeep and blasted music.  I let my hair whip around until it was gigantic knot.  Every second was great.

I have great friends, I do.  I have a great family too.  I am thankful for every breath that I'm lucky enough to have on this beautiful earth.  I love the stars, the sun, the way the red bricks looked under my feet in West Philly.  I have so many reasons to be happy.  I'm not going to let some fucking boy get me down.

I don't share poetry online much, but here's what I wrote today on Belmont Avenue.  Keep in mind that this has yet to undergo a massive amount of editing.  Sometimes I edit poetry for years before it's right.  Here, this one is for Andrew:

Belmont Avenue

I'm gonna be your biggest regret.
The way the ice cream dripped on my tender breasts,
but I let you squeeze them anyway.
The way my brain was bigger than my head, but I stuffed it in there,
and it was bigger than your hollow skull,
your empty heart beating on my solid chest,
it was confused and unused for so long.
We were meant to meet on Smick Street at the corner,
where that beer you like soaked into my nude push up bra,
soaked into my head and let me love you to the fullest extent.
And you looked me in my brown eyes
and said that you changed your mind.
You changed your mind?
I didn't even think you had one.