Ho Stroll

There is a series hotels location in a section of North Long Beach. They call it the Ho Stroll

He  lives on the Ho stroll

The home of cheap motels and the ladies of the night

He is not from that world

He is a middle class guy

From a working class world

The Earth fell from under him a few months ago

It was a seismic shift

Now his temporal home is on the boarder of Long Beach and Compton.

He is familiar with this life

But hates it

He gave up praying six months ago

When hope seemed like fantasy

And the words from Psalms were Fortune cookie lore

He steps over the police tape

There was a shooting ten minutes before

On his way back to the 55-dollar a night room

He has a pint of Steel Reserve in one hand

And a bottle of sleeping pills in the other.

 

Author's Note

Comments welcome...

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

You said a lot in the short poem. I was raised on Cass Ave. in Detroit. Women of the night and the day roamed openly. They always said hi to me and my sister. You create hard and dark place. Most cities are cold and dirty. If you live in them. You don't see the dirt. Thank you my friend for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Judas Hammer]

Thank you Coyote!

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome my friend.

[R J Askew]

Brilliant little evocation. I have never been to Ho Stroll, but I now feel intimately acquainted with it. The insight into American life for this Brit is also acute. The personal drama of the fallen middle-ranker also feels familiar. We read about the squeezed middle in worthy news stories. But your short verse brings it alive - as it staggers towards its demise on Ho Stroll. Love the way you have picked up on a real term for a real place that conveys so much. Your verse is like a novel reduced to its core. Maybe this is why poetry can make for great reading - all the wasted words are axed.

[Judas Hammer]

Thank you for the read and the comment.

[Eddie Phillips]

Judas this had some raw truth to it. It makes me think of Steely Dan and some of their songs from the 70's. It was very lyrical.

[Judas Hammer]

Thank you Eddie

[Ashira Macy]

This paints an incredibly vivid picture. Almost like the opening of a black and white drama that you just know won't end well. Good write.

[Judas Hammer]

Thank you so much

[Dayran]

A stint at a temporary place ... sometimes gives an insight into the temporal nature of all life. Its there because we have a need for it.

[Judas Hammer]

Thanks for the read my friend.