West Coast Poem

since i had
a few extra bucks
i decided
to take the ferry
from Vancouver
to Victoria.

2 hours
of smelling
the open
ocean.

a much different scent
than the ocean
which rests
on the edges
of city
beaches.

there’s no suntan lotion
or car exhaust
in the air.

there’s just
the ferry
churning up
the aqua water
& pushing the salt
up your nostrils.

purity.

i stepped off
the bus
in downtown
Victoria
& walked along
its red brick sidewalks
until i found
that famous bookstore
named after
some famous
Canadian writer
i’ve never read.

i lost some money
to an old man
sitting on
a street corner
in 4 or 5
games of chess.

i bought
some marijuana
off a kid
with a skateboard.

then i sat on the beach
smelling
the polluted ocean,
got high
& watched
my loneliness

become
tangible.

-Chris Kornacki