Casey Mensing

Casey Mensing

From Main to Broadway

Carnival geeks are mainlining crystal, grinding MDMA between molars, then biting the heads off pigeons.

He awakes shuddering. Existing in a state between, reality, sleep, and death, he tries to piece together the geometric pattern of his hallucinations while composing hymns from the abstractions.

He dodges the puddles of dog piss and roaches hustling to stay alive. Heads down the stairwell where the guy from 310 chain-smokes and talks to his side chick, while his wifey rides a sticky-icky high and texts her man in 510 on the sly.

Eyes are absorbing the downtown streets. 5th from Main to Broadway. Daydreaming into the Rite-Aid.

A twelve pack of Dos Equis and some mini donuts. In line behind burned-out race car drivers and grizzled vets, buying down-home bourbon, Polish vodka, Flame-thrower Everclear.

He skims the magazine covers. Perfect proportions. The plight of celebrity kids. Anal bleaching.

The eye watches objectively. The heart and mind cling to and manipulate the images, Photoshopping out the defects. Deleting the surrounding poverty, replacing it with soft-served media approved imagery. The lies we hope to pass on to future generations.


Casey Mensing has lead a nomadic existence that currently finds him living in downtown Los Angeles. He is the author of the books, Last Fair Deal, The Unimaginable City, and I Am Ahab. His short story, Dumbsaints, is soon to be produced as a short film by 11 Bang Bang Productions. In his free time, Casey likes to roam the city seeking out the forgotten, and long ago built over landmarks of Los Angeles’ once-thriving post-war jazz scene.