Street Life

 
Raised voices, horns, sirens and barkers
Proof of Life
this steady din of life with its
trebles and rhythm
discordant yet belonging
concrete and weeds
 
Abandoned lots
Abandoned buildings
makeshift playgrounds
labs
and Koch
 
Kicking cans and “working girls”
pimp walking on the right side
jaywalking was a way of life
 
Latch key kids
staring around corners
waiting for the dolls to move
 
Jungle gym construction sites
Spalding handball and boomboxes
new concrete and skateboards
 
Flickering street lights
in the city gloom
turning all grey, blue
 
Grey walls and graffiti
Hell’s Angels and Encampments
Artists and hucksters
 
Raised voices, horns, sirens and barkers
 
Yeah, the city may have slept
But its denizens didn’t