Gritty City

The night air filled with

horn honks and voices

Jazz musicians

And guitars

Drowning out all thought

Lights bright and blaring

Flashing and changing

Blinding eyes from the night sky

The air lays heavy

Entering lungs

Filled with fumes

Traffic stops

Even now

I can get there faster by foot

So I walk

In the rain

Wishing to be home

For this city is a wretched place

No friendly hellos

Nor smile or nod

Only shifty eyes and frowns

And now I realize why you left this city and told me never to go

For it is a disappointment

Nothing like what they sell you

Leaving you broken

And washed out

Longing for a way back home