The City
by Genevieve Petty

There is a place
Where the normals do not go
Though it's only a few miles away from home
It is farther than Bangkok
In some cities it is east, in some west
In a lot it is near downtown...

Where shattered people live shattered lives
Amidst boarded up building
shabby bungalows
broken windows
pawn shops
praise-and-prayer stops
cheap hotels
struggling social services

Where the streets are crammed with drop-ins and drop-outs
study projects
work projects
recreation projects
self-help projects
housing projects
crisis projects
Every project but the ones needed

And people sleep where they find a place amidst
inner city streetcorners
back alleys
roach-ridden rooms
dingy doorways
bus shelters
park benches
heating vents
church basements
greasy spoons
flop houses
dumps

Yes, this is a part of the city the normals never go
The part real-estate agents never show
When out-of-towners think to move here
Oh yes, this is the city too
More the city than expensive malls and expansive homes
Though it is pushed out of the mind set of the normals
That is not part of where I live...it's not in my backyard
That is not my city
Oh yes, this is the dangerous part of town
Where the rockheads smoke
And the law of survival reads:
Steal, deal or trick
And men get shivved for a normal's pocket-change
Where curb kids go boosting at the local store
Oh yes, this is the city

No,
The normals
They see the expansive lawns and brand new cars
The identical homes on identical streets
The suburbs, not the city
Where danger hides behind facade
And in feeling safe they open their doors to the danger

Do you fear reality?
I'd be more afraid to live in denial
Where I cannot see the dangers