50 Cents

 
People….ugly people, stupid people
wandering through their existence
      wasting it like they will live forever
         squandered youth

These streets that I walk on are filthy
this Baptist church I walk by smells like piss
 and that makes me smile for some reason

This contempt I carry in my gut
 Makes me move at a slow pace
  As I breathe in the heat of this city

Nobody gives a fuck, the remains of a Burger King meal
    lay abandoned only ten feet from a trash can. Fuck.

I watch everybody without making eye contact
    because of this contempt I feel
      or maybe out of fear, but either way
       I know some skell is going to ask me for change
        another for bus fare
         another for a cigarette

Fuck these bums “Get away from me” I say to myself
     as I practice saying “No” over and over in my head

Crossing at Main Street the light counts down time to cross
   I see her… an angel in distress…pure beauty covered in tattoos
     walking purposefully with dignity in every step
       I live a lifetime with her by the time she passes, nods
        and smiles as if she knows what I was thinking
          dreaming of what could have been
           if I had any courage

Rounding the corner, I am approached by a young Puerto Rican guy
   his girlfriend in tow looking unamused
      “Hey mister you got 50 cents”?
         “Sure”  I say, “here ya go”