Bad Radio Broadcasts at 6PM

i was sitting outside a cafe one night

and cars were passing by at a steady stream.

i couldn’t help but stare

because the parade of blaring lights

was all too attractive. cars entering the building

would turn left by the entrance stairs while the cafe,

being directly at the front,

would always be flooded with yellow lights.

like phosphenes.

like a kaleidoscopic display.

the more i looked,

the more the feeling that i was in a dream persisted.

like all bright and blinding things

it begged you to be happy,

to look forward— here is another season, another year.

here is summer.

here is rain and june.

all that gleam was trying to push back

my frowning insides, devouring the absence of light

and forcefully filling it with light.

lightness. good news.

a message that finally something beautiful has come,

yes. i promise you this, i promise.

trance-like, i continued to stare.

it might not have been real

but one can be miserable enough to believe it.

that even after the moment has passed,

a sliver of that feeling remained.

yes. i promise you this, i promise.