that ledge made me realize just how dreadful life in this death of a zip code is

yesterday was a bit
too hot but it was
beautiful none the less.
yesterday,
i sat on a ledge
that felt part of the atmosphere
and myself part of the air
while we contemplated
if we could hang glide all
the way to the
blue shimmer in the distance.
i almost panicked as
footing nearly fell, but not
as I panic now. I'm stuck in
a shopping mall parking lot
remembering the lunch i ate.
i stared strait ahead and
the people all
began to move in slow motion.
their words, their movements, their faces
all fading. it all goes nowhere.
it's just words and movement and faces.
staring back at me now are five
rocks from the mountain still
in my passenger seat.
i've never seen rocks that shimmered
red and gold like these. they are beautiful.
looking at them.
I feel terrible. how could i have
done such a thing? these rocks belong
in the clouds, not the passenger seat
of a ford in a parking lot.
i've wronged them. I look
at the rocks and feebly muter "we'll
be somewhere beautiful
again someday" and that's all
i can tell them because I
have to return to work
before i can figure out what
else to tell them.