CARLTON WAY OFF OF WESTERN: published in SECOND COMING Vol. 5, No. 1 ©1977.
Carlton Way off Western Ave.: published in what matters most is how well you walk through the fire ©2007.
Carlton Way off Western Ave.: published in what matters most is how well you walk through the fire ©2007.
CARLTON WAY OFF OF WESTERN
while the rents go up
this is where the poor people live
the people on ATD and relief
the large families with poor jobs
and the strange lonely men
on old age pensions
waiting to die.
here among the massage parlors
within the smog and the tiredness
even the dogs look
kindly inept
don't bark
chase cats,
and the cats walk up and down the
passages
and never catch a bird
but the birds are here with us"”
it's only that you can't see them
you only hear them
somewhere
at 3:30 a.m. in the morning
after the last streetwalker has made her
score.
the rents go up here too
but compared to the others
we are living for free
because nobody wants to live with the
likes of us.
none of us has new cars
most of us walk
and don't care who wins the
presindency.
but we have wife-beaters
just like the others
and child-beaters
just like the others
and sex freaks
and tv sets
just like the others
and we'll die
just like the others
only a little earlier and we'll drink
just like the others
only a little cheaper stuff
and lie
just like the others
only with a little less
imagination.
and even though our streetwalkers don't look
as good as their wives
I think our cats and our birds and dogs are better
and don't forget the
rent.
Carlton Way off Western Ave.
while the rents go up elsewhere
this is where the poor people
come to live
the people on AFDC and relief
the large families with bad jobs
the strange lonely men
on old age pensions
waiting to die.
here among the massage parlors
the pawn shops
the liquor stores
caught in the smog and the squalor
even the dogs look
inept
don't bark or
chase cats,
and the cats walk up and down the
streets
and never catch a bird
but the birds are there
but you can't see them
you only hear them
sometimes in the night
at 3:30 a.m.
after the last streetwalker has made her
last score.
the rents go up here too
but compared to most others
we are living for free
because nobody wants to live with the
likes of us.
none of us have new cars
most of us walk
and we don't care who wins the
election.
but we have wife-beaters
here too
just like the others
and child-beaters
just like the others
and sex freaks
and TV sets
just like the others
and we'll die
just like the others
only a little earlier and we'll eat
just like the others
only cheaper stuff
and lie
just like the others
only with a little less
imagination.
and even though our streetwalkers don't
look as good as your wives
I think our cats and our birds and dogs
are better
and don't forget the low
rents.
Last edited by a moderator:
