The Dark Side of Vegas

Behind all of the glamour
Hidden by the glitz
Under all the spray on tans
And distracted by the ****

Lies a Vegas like no other
Not the one you wish to see
The other side of Vegas
Has a cost, it isn't free

A parade of homeless people
Far off strip are daily seen
Heading for a bed and meal
Away from where the grass is green

The locals all accept it
It's a darker part of town
Where there's fewer painted smiles
On this Las Vegas clown

Every other building 
Is boarded up or framed
In steel bar covered windows
With no winners at the game

The goal of all the walkers
Is to get to the next day
They can't afford to leave here
They can't afford to stay

Each walkway full of hawkers
Selling water for a buck
Passed out drunks all sleeping
Hoping you will toss a buck

Some saints and many sinners
Came to find the life they lead
Is not the one they looked for
When they came here to fill their greed

Don't look behind the curtain
You will not like what you will find
The darker side of Vegas
Is not one that's in your mind

A parade of desperate people
Walk the streets each night alone
Past the empty buildings
Pass the bail bonds, guns and loans

To truly see Las Vegas
You have to venture off the strip
Into a world of darkness
And in truth, it's a short trip

Behind the glitz and glamour
Away from where the tourists go
Is the dark side of Las Vegas
That only few will ever know
Copyright © | Year Posted 2018

Poem

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Adams Avatar
April 27, 2018 at 6:36 PM
I haven't been to Vegas but a long time ago I hitch-hiked from one end of America to the other and visited a few larger cities. I was at the underbelly of them all. Not all of them had to be there but most were. Sad! Anyway, well written and rhymed and (obviously) thought provoking!
Gauthier Avatar
April 25, 2018 at 11:52 PM
Agreed it certainly is an eye-opener to wander off the strip in the shadier parts of town. Not a pretty site. I like to stick to the strip, and even then, Las Vegas is not my favorite place to people watch.
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