SKID ROW

there were no more blankets.
the remaining tents were too valuable
for last-minute shelters.

the sidewalks were closed for film production.

the next set of apologies
wouldn’t be handed out ‘til after

the next sunrise reveals
a limited subset of
lingering impairments.

when the rain finally came,
abandoned boxes corrugated into

box springs that slid across
trash flooded, rodent infested storm drains,

transforming unmarked streets into
rivers that carried them down stream,

spurring the devil’s curse words,
without a foul mouth.

since that didn’t kill them

it was OK for them to survive−
it was OK for them to ask for tomorrow−

so we gave them pillows, a curb,
and a neighborhood
for each other.

Mark Anthony Thomas
Copyright © 2022