[ Poetry ]

Into the Shadows

The city was ours

walking along the dark

dirty streets of New Orleans

hand in hand

struggling to stay close

offering protection from those things that

at any moment

may leap from a narrow alleyway

and forever separate

our common reality.

These moments are fleeting we know

but we cling to them

(it’s all very useless)

as we walk


your arm around my waist

mine around your shoulder

we stumble through the streets

as if drunk

intoxicated by the darkness

and the stench of the city.

The shadows creep behind us

the lamplights flicker

and the shadows smile and creep closer

they are almost upon us

almost enveloping us

when we turn the corner to escape

and we hear their cursings

their promises of next time

and their laughs,

their silent laughs.

It’s all so frightening

yet we walk


stopping for seconds only

then crossing the street

to safety

and realizing that

everything’s okay

for now

as we walk




oblivious to the shadows

that linger ahead.

The city was ours.