we join in

outside,
and grown men are barking like dogs
how wild is this place?, she says
this is where man and beast merge into one,
out of sheer necessity
sooner or later we all go mad, i tell her
how far removed are we from any sort of normalcy?
i don't know, i say,
how do you measure a thing like that?
we laugh and blow smoke in each others faces
high on summer and love and beer
we join in
howling, barking, screaming
and the hollywood night gets quiet again
we have marked our territory,
for now
that was a close one, i say
and she smiles