lower_east_side jane 32? violations. little violations that i've learned to enjoy, that i've nurtured like infants, each one growing until they leave the house. smoking cigarettes by the window, wondering what the light across the street symbolizes, when in practice it could symbolize absolutely nothing. the ten surviving goldfish swimming around in their artificial environment. wanting to be the girl with the dark hair and eyes that penetrate across the dimly lit bar; fingers stained with nicotine wrapping themselves around the neck of an imported beer. i could be the one that got away, letting you violate me in the bathroom of some dive with a jukebox that plays only peggy lee and analogous tears-in-my-eyes country. early mornings, waking up with that slight hangover, making you feel just surreal enough to question your existence, whether you really are in the matrix, or if you just really need a cup of coffee. this is the lower east side. you could wear a nun's habit and the guys in front of the auto repair place would still tell you how hot you are as you walk by. this kind of unforgiving honesty will never be found anywhere else 040625 ... unhinged the lake, e_coli soup, you have an apartment with a view. whole foods, alterra, an_ode_to_spicy_food and then boutiques boutiques and more boutiques. mercedes, bmw, audi. spit and you could hit downtown. the oriental, historically beautiful indie movie house, screening the rocky horror picture show once a month. you know, the kind of old-fashioned theater with a stage. a bunch of scenester_bitches don't even know how good they really have it. tofu fajitas, mini donuts on the corner of oakland and north, the landmark: a bowling alley with three bars and an arcade. my first hood in milwaukee, still near and dear. 081013 ... z i grew up on the lower east side. i watched it change. change me. it is my home (even though i have moved away). my mom still lives there. i see it through the holograph of memory, constantly reacting to the reality of it's evolution from what i know it to be, to what it actually has become. the lower east side is almost completely subsumed by the influence of the outsiders who have taken it from us. and it will be no more. 081013 ... Ouroboros Where my parents lived in the 70's Where my great grandparents lived in to 20s 081013 what's it to you? who go blather from