it is a little known fact that balconies play an integral part in our lives

when vacationing balconies are

used for sunbathing

as an extension of the apartment

a place for fucking after dark

where else could you fuck

with such a view at your fingertips

a place for hangovers and strong coffee

after late nights out

balconies are a place of refuge

away from the horrors of your endless confinement

it is a place to meet other prisoners

who can share your views over the drab city landscapes

before they return to bed to dream of hopeless vacations

with balconies reaching into the sky

balconies are often the last place

that suicides touch before they learn to fly

that drunken partygoers remember

before they wake up in hospital with broken bones

I am in love with my balcony

which is not too high above the street

I often sit on it enjoying a cigarette watching the lives of others

whether they be on their balconies or in their apartments

I watch people in the streets and the birds in the city trees with endless amazement

my only regret is that balconies do not travel at 28mph