Berlin calls

Berlin breathes down my neck, neon veins and asphalt bones

I dodge puddles of yesterday's rain

Somewhere a bottle breaks — laughter or anger, I can't tell

The air tastes like metal, cigarettes, sweat, and regret

I move through the crowd, eyes half-open, dreams half-dead

Cheap drink in my hand, sticky fingers from a wrap falling apart

Held together with foil and hope, just like me

Up five flights of stairs, my knees crack like old wood

The window doesn't close, wind sneaks in like an ex who overstays

Rooftops stretch out, antennas jagged like broken teeth