City's Peace

A bay wraps my city.
Ship horns scurry along a salty breeze,
sweeping across sleeping men.

Old Joe's waltz the boardwalk,
Stepping in rhythm with waves of meth.
They linger, yielding stale aromas of journeys.

I exhale.
A thicket of smoke caresses my tongue,
leaving me breathless like a first kiss.

I inhale.
Shrill laughter carries into neon headlights
from whirlpools of liquor and sightless eyes. 

I smile.
My fingernails tap the cadence of life upon
trapped moonlight within metal rails.

I dance in syncopation
like this city's palpitating heart beat.