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Nearby Ghetto
i wish i didn’t* but
i have to get across town
so off i go taking the bus
that drives through a nasty ghetto
i’m shocked as i look out the window
to see several dismal characters
i can’t imagine the misfortunes
that has brought them there
they’re low, they’re high
or maybe that's just their life
being low in between their high
houses so run down
they look like crackhouses to me
windows loosely boarded up
properties with signs for sale ~ as if !!
meanwhile i can't help
but notice that i'm the only
caucasian on the bus
i take the time to notice people in their uniforms
orderlies, cashiers, dishwashers, students
in their eyes bound determination to get ahead
and not land in this foresaken ghetto
and then we turn around a corner
back to the realm of civilization
like having crawled out of a deep hole
no wall no fence
just an imaginary line
that we dare cross at our own peril
doggedly holding our breath
cautious that the pit won't engulf us
* I'm on my way to a doctor's appointment that I'm dreading.
P.S. I feel it's important to mention that I live in Canada where we don't really use the term 'ghetto', and up here these quarters attract substance abusers.
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Posted on March 31, 2025
Copyright ©
Line Gauthier
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