Restless Observation

Familiar music fills my ears
As I drown out the sounds
Of Lima, Peru during evening rush hour
Of beeping horns and squealing tires

Lights flicker on across the street
As lives return home
Changing diapers after communal showers,
Checking emails crosslegged on the floor

Marking time and counting calories
On treadmills that never go anywhere
Running away from the stress of the day
By staying in the same place...fast

As for me, I await the knock on the door
Telling me that it is now safe
to venture out into the night
To the clubs in Barranco
and chill to the nature of my own beast


—Mark Butkus