Sign

I saw it writ big on the new building’s side:
Hayes Valley Isn’t
Just a State of Mind
It’s a State of Being.

I doubted that credo out loud—
Its ontology, its epistemology. No one answered me.

Is it true?
How can one know?
Only faith might illuminate this mystery.

I strained mine to imagine someone say,
“I guess I never thought about it that way,
but I suppose it’s so,” then shell out
For a million-dollar studio.

Written By: Jason Szyldik

About the Author: Jason Szydlik studied poetry at City College.