Photograph ©Copyright by John-Ward Leighton

COMING DOWN

The din of the day did damage to my head,
I had to leave the chosen job
and get out into the city instead.
I walked the street
to my old uptown beat
a friend was waiting
to listen to me piss and moan.
I shot these pictures
going there and coming back.
Then I watched TV
and had a snack
and wondered where the day
had gone.
My place was clean
but my mood was mean;
I knew that in the crunch
I would need something to punch.
I wanted to shout it from
the highest steeple
Oscar was right,
“Hell, is other people.”
Our city is one big construction site;
the need of commerce
denies us the right
to the streets we paved
and without any luck
became the slaves
to the almighty buck.
Another world is possible,
so John, get rid of that frown
you are just suffering the pangs of
coming down.

©Copyright February 3, 2008 by John-Ward Leighton