The impending parade

as I sit at my desk staring out into an empty alley
where once a ramshackle tent had been, put there by the inhabitants
of my former basement apartment, I ponder the meaning of life.
Well, It's a constant pondering. I know at times it's as simple as
smiling when you don't want to smile and finding beauty down on the
sidewalk next to a rusted garbage can. Outside my window where once a ramshackle
tent had stood, the sounds of horns and shouting echo through the empty spaces.
It is an hour until the real adventure begins, when people will flood the streets in
costumes screaming and shouting. The streets are barricaded. The population of my
neighborhood seems to have doubled. The sidewalks are packed. It is the night before the Caribbean pride parade
and we do live in a predominantly caribbean neighborhood, so let the games begin.