Ghetto

An entire life wasted on the street,
Got nothing but the clothes on my back,
The shoes on my feet.

Nowhere to run.

Day in, day out, I fight for my life
As I try to climb out of the gutter,
Body tensed, prepared to strike.

Nowhere to hide.

Light and shadow, good intentions and malice
Intertwined like long-lost lovers beneath
The skyscrapers, sipping from the chalice
Of despair.

Nowhere to go.

I must leave this place. The city squeezes
The air from my lungs, the chilly draft
Wrapping around my heart, freezing it.

Nowhere to stay.