a lil hamlet called Oakland

so overlooked,
Oakland is, just sitting there to the East.

Sullen, it longed for someone to notice its Speakeasy Parkway Theater, with couches, pizza, and films.
Dirtied, it looked for a visitor to absorb the sights and, yes, even the scents (!) of the expansive Walden Pond Book Store.


Sometimes the place that's miserable and hostile exists only in your mind...
Oakland seemed to be smiles all around.