::04:26:08::

::: a familiar ride :::

my pale white flesh rests upon the dark cushions of our downtown ride
moving slowly-crawling through the streets
creeping up on black shapes
figures waiting for the rush-the helpless suburban clichés
bedrooms caliginous, lightless
street corners filled, a herd of tasteless voices
-hollering obscenities to expired beauty queens
obnoxious responses from cherry red lips, hey baby, looking for a good time
with the windows down beneath my nose, I gaze
a lone child, perhaps the watchman, rests under broken one way signs pointed in the wrong directions
-innocence exploited
the headlights ahead dim-a sudden stop
an injured soul emerges from the back
-stumbling, clenching the pavement with torn, sore feet-a tired body, barely twenty
around his lanky waist hung a tattered pair of blue jeans dragging through the dirty cement
breath escaped his chapped mouth, visible through the midnight air
he trembles, gripping crinkled dollar bills, 3 bucks short of just one more hit
then, the encounter-an interview with the villain
the exchange-an acceptance of the hellish truth
he walks the plank back to the car, meeting death halfway through
I stared back behind my chair, peering curiously through the glass
my mind lost in a familiar place
heading south, the sky grew brighter
green and red bulbs arise-street lights flickered
a left turn onto 76
a flashback.

Written by: ~ Victoria