An alleyway
Cold
Dark
Unashamed and unshadowed
Freshly watered garbage cans
And an invitation for two
Dark tendrils snaking hesitantly out from inbetween the cobblestones
Frequent reminders of an apathetic sentiment subtly changed by time
Nurtured by the glowing embers of an everlasting fire
Tucked into pages of poetic rhyme
And left to lie
Cold lips speak colder truths from rain-soaked cardboard boxes
She died here last night under the moon’s harsh spotlight
The rats kept vigil on the nearby stairs, people unaware
Of the unnamed victim’s plight
A human’s pleading sigh
A church
Frigid
Stark
Disappointed and dismayed
They sit in pews
And cry for false salvation
Stark outlines chasing the shadows illuminating the prominent cross
Heads bowed in supplication for crimes unconfessed and dire
Clothes neatly pressed by hearts full of conditional love
Stirred up in hell-less fire
And left to lie
Frigid stares gaze into nothingness as the ritual continues its sing-song pattern
He died here this morning under the harsh audience’s glare
The would-be sinners kept vigil near, unbathed in tears
With his sins finally laid bare
I hear their final cry
Calling out to me underneath the starless night’s sky
They remain unashamed and unshadowed
In the alley halfway between here and nowhere
Or a church underneath heaven’s stair
Freshly watered garbage cans
And an invitation for two.
Sam
Sam's Online Journal 