Patrick Cornwall Poet Narrative

Last Tear

Walking down Lehigh Ave in North Philadelphia where I used to play

Now I see teenagers playing with dirty syringes and caps of rock

Women strutting and screaming, "Hey," to the car slowing down to peak

Gotta get one more

And the mother cries as the police drag her son away

Cars with flats and smashed windshields litter the streets and gangsters

Old men walk fast and the litter races to keep up

Glass crunches underfoot as the junkie holds up his hand with two fingers

"Whatchou want old man?"

And the newspaper flies past swirling and the old man thinks it's the end

Police roll past and the thugmen walk casually in all directions

"Da Bien,"thugish screams and the dealers return

As she sticks the needle in her arm and pulls the blood through

She goes into a nod and her eyelids droop but  a tear rolls on her freckled cheek

Its the tear that has power as her breath becomes close

She takes one last lungful and the tear rolls slow as the heroin takes her life

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Krish Radhakrishna February 29, 2020 at 3:48 AM Great poem! It has a very powerful impact! The sadness of what goes on in parts of the world today! Well done!

Joan C. Fingon February 25, 2020 at 8:47 AM Dark side of life for some people this is a good reminder for those who still are out there on the streets.

Louis Drago August 8, 2012 at 9:48 PM Patrick, this was a very tragic poem.... very descriptive and true to life.... very well written.. Louis Drago

Danielle Wise Baxter May 27, 2012 at 8:16 PM This is so true and so tragic. I tell my grown kids things and they are amazed. Life was so different for me.

Kathryn Collins May 12, 2012 at 6:53 AM Patrick - How things change from one sadness to another. Your image in the last four lines leaves me numb, as a devasting lonely feeling creeps into my soul. There but for the grace of God. love, Kathy

Shirley Long May 6, 2012 at 12:18 AM This poem portrays how life is for some people right here in our world, It is filled with much heart-aches, pain, drugs and sorrows, each verse portrayed the awful picture of the way life was in the streets where you grew you grew up on, it is sad it has gotton to be this way. This is a great Write. I Hope and pray that one day it will get better.

Marcella Santos May 5, 2012 at 8:35 PM O no! So sad to read, but so much the reality of today even here in the UK as well. A very deep insight into today's happenings. Well written Patrick.

Joann Grisetti May 5, 2012 at 7:48 PM This has a sad but true ring about it, a scene that most of us do not witness inour lives. It is unfortunate that people who live like this cannot know the joy of fresh air, or sunshine, or the high of just walking safely.