These streets
are not just roads;
they hold our stories, and
embedded within them are our
poems

chasing the sunbeam
   across the carpet,
my dog finds happiness
in a single moment,
   in a single ray of light.

the little girl next door
skips breakfast
  to play outside in the same sun,
her stomach     empty
because mommy bought gin
instead of milk - again

both enjoy the moment,
oblivious to the shadows -
but my dog isn't hungry

Good men
won't be found here.
Chivalry is long dead.
Here, we sit in shadows and hide
our scars.

Handcuffed
for buying a
flower from a roadside
vendor.  America summed up
right there.

Walking
by me as I
wrestle with my regret,
she laughs - and for a short moment I
too smile

The way
you talk about
it, you seem to think that
time really does stand still in my
embrace

The taste
of my cigar
and the whiskey in my
gullet can't fill the pit inside
my chest