ghost of the cafe

i sit on the side stairs 
at the ghost of langdon street
and hear the voices of so many
singers 
talkers
travelers
poets
puppets
magicians
showgirls
kids
joy parades

the echoes still sound on this corner 
5 years later 

someone's got a zoning permit
on the window 
we'll see

today on an almost silent
late winter morning
town sounds from a block away 

no coffee
no paper-reading regulars 
no bakers rushing past me down
these side steps
with big pungent trays

look through the window
empty as the day we brought the bartop
to dan's barn
and closed her down
i got a free rocks glass I still drink from

langdon street
i grew my heart there