Haunting in an L.A. Hotel

This hotel is old, and it creaks at night.
There is a hole in the wall by the window
letting in a draft.
The L.A. air as tainted as my soul.

She says this place is haunted
and I believe her.
Sometimes the living are more haunting than the dead.

You should be here
you would love it in the morning light.
I can almost feel you next to me,
crumpling the sheets beside me
but you are miles away.

Her perfume lingers in the bathroom
alongside the ruffled towels
and cheap hotel soaps.
I can still taste her on my lips
and smell the absinthe.

There are so many things I long to say to you,
need to say to you,
but instead I whisper endlessly to empty walls and ghosts.
Sometimes it feels like I will never breathe again.

I never knew I needed you
until you left me alone,
abandoned me out in the cold with my heart in my hands in pieces.
I don't know how to live without you.
Feels like I never will.

She says this place is haunted
and I believe her.

(Not so) Brief Update

I am writing today from my new home, in beautiful, sunny San Diego, California.  The last few months have been a whirlwind for me.  Here's a brief summary:

About a week before Christmas I decided to fly home to the San Francisco Bay Area to be with my family.  For those that don't know, I was living near Boston, MA at the time.  This trip was last minute, on a whim, and originally planned to be about a week.

I had $100 to my name, but figured it would be better to be broke with my family in California than broke and alone in New England. So onto the plane I went.

Whilst in California, I got an opportunity to do some contract work and make a little money.  WooHoo!  So I stayed.

Once I realized I might be in the Golden State for a few weeks, I organized a trip to Southern California to do some artistic modeling work.  I had a great time in Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and downtown Los Angeles.  After a few days, I took a jaunt down to San Diego, which was meant to be for a weekend and (noticing a theme here?) turned into two weeks.  I loved San Diego; I felt at peace for the first time in a long time, and thus decided to stay.  Which meant driving back up to the SF Bay Area, and then flying back to Boston to pack up, give away, or sell the 3-bedroom apartment's worth of stuff I had laying in wait back in the North East. 

I won't bore you with the details of that, except to say it's been quite a journey.  I rented a U-Haul trailer, loaded up what remained of my stuff, including my two lovely cats, and on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at around 2:00 p.m. set out on what would be a 5 day drive to Southern California. 

My chosen route took me through CT, NY, NJ, and into PA to connect with I-81 South through MD, WV, and Virginia. Then onto I-40 West through Tennessee and into Arkansas, where I connected to I-30 West through Dallas, TX, which turns into I-20 through west Texas, then connects to I-10 through El Paso.  I stayed on I-10 West through New Mexico, into Arizona, then transferred to I-8 West, passing through Yuma, crossing the state line into California and FINALLY landing in San Diego at the end of the 5th day.  I chose to stop at night to give myself and the cats a rest.  I also picked up a hitchhiker in Tennessee (pictured below), who was stuck in the sewer at a rest stop along I-40.  I am glad to say she is happy and healthy, and has integrated well into my clan.

Now, U-Haul unpacked and returned, and beautiful vintage Spanish-style apartment slowly coming together, here I sit, enjoying the sunshine and lovely people of Southern California, and busting my bum to find a job.  I am looking for work as a technical writer, marketing communications specialist, business analyst, or creative writer/editor for newspaper or other publication.  If anyone has any job leads in or near San Diego, I'm all ears.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!