Back Then

We played the game do you remember
the restaurant that served Swiss fondue
It was diagonally across from a bar
that served poetry along with wine and pretzels
I sat there with a friend from Louisiana
and talked about the Irish poets
and how they played with language
Do you recall the new age stores that sold crystals
or the used bookstore where I purchased
 postcards of women writers and artists
until I had enough to create a collage
Do you remember the man with a straw hat
who sat in front of his chess board
You could play against him for two dollars
I recall the stationary store that sold
hard backed dated lined notebooks
Do you remember all the frozen yogurt stores
or the popcorn store selling fifty varieties
I recall young people attired in goth outfits
and people sitting on the sidewalk holding
signs and a figure wrapped in a blanket
asleep on a bench while people walked by
I remember the man who talked to himself
while people read newspapers and sipped coffee
No one looked his way and he carried on
a conversation with an unseen companion
Do you recall the movie theatre that burned down
and the paper said it started with the popcorn maker
Do you recall the store that replaced a bookstore
and sold organic juices and vegetable drinks
I recall the man who set a toilet down
in the middle of the street
and pitched pennies into the bowl
It's funny about memory
Some things just stick
like the natural grocery store that sold tee shirts
Remember the Emma Goldman tee shirt,
 " If I  can't dance
I don't want to be part of your revolution."
I wore that shirt until the words blurred
If I close my eyes I am still wearing
Emma's words