Generalist Species

I wanted to buy dirt
But the dirt mongers bit me
Now I’m reminded
How city streets also fit me
Midnight coffee shop conversations
About love as a build, or a fall,
And the meaning of life,
Like any of us know anything at all,
Hole-in-the-wall book swaps
With dogeared paperbacks
Written by Greek philosophers
Translated by hacks,
A store for every occasion,
And parks for walks
No one knows each other’s names
Even after extended talks,
Privacy is fragile.
Space is too tight.
It takes a block party sometimes
To invoke you to invite
And I was a wildflower
Growing between sidewalk slabs
But I did just as well there
Without the personal jabs.
Where’s the benefit?
What good does buying dirt do
If the people around
Treat it better than you.