i always eat the same foods
rice and beans and a side of something or other
i always go to the same place
diners with coffee, greek salads and wifi
i always sit in the same seat
by the window, near the outlet, the headphones come on
i always visit the same museum
rembrandt, hopper, the hudson river school painters
i always hear the same songs
sad and dark a guitar and a whisper
i always watch the same shows
funny or dark or someone ends with a broken heart
i always walk the same streets
sunrise mornings twilight skies shadows in the night
i always have the same friends
a gay guy, a drinking buddy, a single mom, a wounded soul
i always write the same poems
melancholy blues on a crooked road
i always have the same conversations
the struggle, the medicine, what the fuck, and possibilities
i always dream the same dream
an ocean, rain, the sunset, a beer
i always cry the same tears
what will break my heart today?

***

Photo by Ihor Malytskyi on Unsplash

Carlos Carrio

Carlos Carrio is the author of two books of poems: The Wine tasted sweeter in the Paper Cups and Barefoot Monks with Sullied Toes. His works were also published in Boricua en la Luna: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Artists.