Afternoons

Afternoons,
Just another day to electrify
Old folks on the porch steps
Children in the graveyard
And a drunk stumbling by
The loan shark's on the corner
The gambler is nowhere
And the blind man has a roving eye
The junkie is shooting
The pusher is pushing
A scene for a bum to dignify

Afternoons,
Just another daydream away
A street gang in the alley
A mother out shopping
Food will make it a lottery day
The rapist is in church
The preacher is in confession
And the skies are cloudy and gray
The married man is searching
The hooker lady hooking
Act One from the neighborhood ballet

Afternoons,
Just a little crack away from fun
The mindless are in school
The teachers are on strike
It's a good day for a loaded handgun
A robbery in progress
A child in the playground
A game of one-on-one
A drive-by shooting
The playground is empty
Another body wilts in the sun

Afternoons,
Just another daydream dead
The rats are house pets
The pigeon is chicken
And the baker is out of bread
A dime bag is a nickel
The man charges a dollar
Hey, a man's gotta get ahead
The streets are full
The streets are empty
The streets are hanging by a thread

Afternoons,
These wonderful, colorful scenes
The clocks are ticking
The politician is licking
The hands he always cleans
It's a means to an end
The end is suicidal
Why not send in the marines?
The streets are empty
The streets are always empty
Afternoons,
Red, white, blue... and gangrene