Member-only story
Life On the Forgotten Side of Town
Tidy modest houses set along tree-lined streets,
That’s the place I remember,
Kids riding bikes,
Kids playing ball,
And loads of smiles all around.
Walking down the road for a treat or two
Past the butcher,
The baker
And Joe the shoemaker
Pausing to wave as we gleefully scampered by.
That was my town.
Full of light.
Full of life.
Then,
Something changed
It all seemed to turn somehow
The trees are all gone,
And there’s needles on the ground.
I see a cart turned over,
laying in the grass,
And a skinny guy slumped beside it,
Waiting for his buzz to pass.
There are no more children playing,
It’s not safe to be outside.
No laughter,
No light.
