City

I’ll put you in the picture
and tell you what I mean:
you see the street is for free
and the people who bustle along
may not want to see
each other as they are
because they just want to be left alone
and carry on with
whatever is their mission.
Catholics, Hindus, Protestants and Jews.
Crucifix‘, beads, crosses and skullcaps
make a pretty picture for sure.
There are the prostitutes and pimps, hasslers and pick-pockets
who try to hide at night
only to become more apparent
when neon lights switch the colour
of their faces.
Gentlemen in cashmere coats and women in minks
stroll down the walking street and
dash in and out of
the exclusive shops.
During a hot summers day
young people, scantily dressed
flock by the fountain.
Bustlers playing on the sidewalk
and children chasing pigeons
at the town hall square.
Mothers and Fathers
hurrying to the supermarket
after work.
Businessmen in tidy suits
and office girls in short skirts
take a lunch break.
In the night, bars and discos
vocalise the scene
as the noise streams out the doors
as they open and close.
A vagabond bedding down for the
night on the park bench.
A drunk sitting in a doorway,
Brown bag in his hand.
A stray cat sliding by
as a car honks its horn at
a jaywalker.
The homeless standing outside the hostel.

Do you get the picture
Of the big city?