On land now for six weeks
spending loads of time with good people.
we’re also putting ourselves to work,
to leave homes better than we found them,
in return for hospitality.
now, 100 ft north of Powell Blvd
near the intersection with 52nd
downwind of a home of the whopper
downwind of the auto body repair shop just next door
in the immediate block:
a convenience store
a tattoo studio
a massage parlor
a vape store
a liquor store
a lotto sandwhich store
a strip club that offers gluten free lap dances
a carwash turned restaurant (can't make that up)
a pregnancy resource center
another block or two further
a divy, Devil-themed strip club
a food cart pod
a marijuana dispensary
another convenience store
coffee
taco bell, burger king, deluxe burger, KFC, subway
we're in the thick of city
out of place
after so much time in remote areas
quiet anchorages
I lived in Portland almost 30 years, but this summer
after a year traveling by sailboat
I’m seeing everything with very different eyes
like a tourist, but I know my way around
Rush hour started at 3pm
heavy traffic goes by
we’re enjoying our break
not missing the sea
not looking forward to it
just going back to the sea
and that's enough to think about it
because I'm busy being here and now
we’ll have time to think about where to go
when we’re back on the water
there's a big, wide porch on this house
overlooks the street
westbound traffic on Powell is only 120 ft away from my ears
still heavy traffic
loudly racing to the weekend ahead
whoosh!
some SHADY people creep around here
just now, a dirty man with shoulder length dreadlocks
skin smeared with dirt
torn overalls hanging off his body, bare-shoulder
standing at an odd angle
he looked like he’d walked out of an airplane crash
or been too close to a bomb blast
Elmer Fudd after his shotgun explodes in his face
because Bugs plugged it with his fingertip
charred
as I watched,
this zombie was stuck for a few minutes in an awkward pose
he chewed his fingernails
staring dumbly at the ground
in the shadow of a tall wooden fence
I walked to the end of the porch
where I could see him more clearly
peripherally at first, so not to startle him
he was as frozen as the squirrel I saw today
on a limb just 3 feet away as I did yard work
only the zombie didn’t notice me
he was full NPC
the non-playable character in a game
that sometimes stand in idle animation loops
stuck waiting for some trigger that will un-pause them
I watch a long 30 seconds
then BOOP!
RE-ACTIVATE.
he boots up, twitches, sniffs
hitches up his pants, then shuffles down the street toward Powell
walking crooked, stiffly and slowly
chewing at a finger
eyes vacant
a minute after the zombie passes
leaving a cloud of shit smell
the auto body shop workers on their smoke break, who he’d walked by
start gruffly blaming "synthetic weed"
that was their guess
the shop workers look tired, dirty
they talk loud, smoke palm-down, and hock thick spit onto pavement
drinking carbonated caffeine
we’re spending the month in a house with a fearful dog
the dog spends the day cowering on the bed, looking out at the street
but anyone coming up the steps will trigger alarm barking
I always use soft, gentle language with her, extra quiet
and she warms up, and even relaxes when her people are home
there is a nice yard and garden here
and the house is clean, well-organized, and well-maintained
we’ll still tackle those odd jobs that most folks never find time for
only starting tasks that we can finish while here
the deep cleaning, polish, and detailing
it’s rewarding to see a job well done
and some things, they’ll likely never notice
but I’ll know
I go to bed tired and satisfied.