“la” Poem by Ray Lucero

“City of Angels” (and demons)
Where a relentless dull buzz persists
Ambulances rushing, bringing in the dead
Police sirens blaring, ‘Copters overhead

The ambient sounds of nature lost in chaos
A stale smell of smog and fast food fills the air

A seething melting pot of ethnic melting pots
Where people find safety/comfort from their “own kind”

People busily going somewhere, anywhere…nowhere
“Mad Hatters” late for life
A crushing chatter of 10 million minds, reaching out

Street dwellers with vacant faces looking for their souls
Hands too weary to lift crumpled paper cups for alms
Opting instead to sleep in doorways or tiny patches of grass

“LA”

Where a Korean woman with a pretty face stands behind a Plexiglas barrier in a tiny shabby liquor store, taking money for a half pint of “Ten High” from a tattooed woman

Nearby;
Hollywood!
A heartless dream crusher that lures the young and unsuspecting
Where more lost souls find little comfort in opulence and fame

“LA” a place I left a long time ago, before it devoured me…

ROTMS