malls

locked doors guard an empty page

behind the windows lies a period faded

a museum of pop culture past

closed to the public

empty neon slots on store-front signs

the spacious food-court starved of presence

murals and decorative centerpieces left unseen

trash and glass pieces lining the floors

ghosts of a consumerist past

now flocked to another herd

I remember being here before

trekking through the acres of parking lot

through the front doors to a dream-like wonderland

everything one could want under one roof

bright and crowded like a firework show

taking in the sights and sounds

a memory to look back on in time

with a place forgotten in history

now, silicon has replaced the veins

little reason to hunt and gather

when what you need

comes from far away

what’s human now nature of earth

cornfields and pastures found

near the fountain next the jeans store.