Leo's Place

Leo's place is five minutes away
We drive, or take the train, or the L
It doesn't matter, really, because
By forty seconds in we're already hooked
On the idea of it
And what we'll find there
A jazz quartet, or a trio, or a record
Playing old melodies we haven't heard
But find familiar
A minute and a half in we're ready
To meet his wife, or life partner
Or maybe his cat named Dave
We remember he's a writer and wonder if
He's finished his next play
About that woman who met that [he lets us
Fill in the blank]
It strikes us as strange, but strangely enticing,
To know that we can never walk
The five minutes to Leo's place
For unknown reasons, the distance
Is impossible-almost inaudible
It's the tune of the song we remember
The thumbing of the bass,
The intermixed piano, and a horn
That could be Leo's, but probably isn't
With less than a minute left
We pull up to find he's already out
But, strangely, and somehow predictably
We realize we never would have gotten in
Anyway