Bright lights are blinding to the
Dull eyes of youth who know
Not what they do, nor what they want.
Can you find me in the darkness of
The neon lights? The dancing girls-
The broken hearts, the penniless fiends?
Poor boys, they’ll see the painted smiles
And claim them as truth and wonder
Why the tears still fall as pennies drop—
Explode in empty pockets as empty
Promises consume. Here in this vast oasis,
Which is merely a mirage, I wait
As we slur our words in frenetic ecstasy
And spill our pennies in the street
In this city of lights, of darkness.