five dollars a night

the worst

hotel i ever stayed in 

was on

the boardwalk

in ocean city, Maryland.

the Broadmoor.

1969.

a home for run aways

and drunks

for the most part.

five dollars a night.

no sheets,

no pillows.

beat up and stained

old mattresses

with prison stripes.

bunk beds.

there were

open windows with

no screens.

a bathroom down

the hall

shared by the whole

floor,

with a toilet that had

trouble flushing.

but the view was great.

we could see

the boardwalk,

and the beach,

the ocean stretched

out from side to side.

a nice breeze would flow

through the window

holding the aroma

of fried chicken and

French fries.

the sugary clouds of cotton

candy.

it wasn't a room for

sleeping necessarily,

it was more of a place

to pass out.