If my memory serves me

I remember a chipped concrete causeway, 
baron but for beggars and trash, 

with lurching walls pressed apart 

by the devil’s outstretched arms,
glowing in the dim shadows of a street lamp.
And I, just a child, played hide- and-seek 

with the drug addicts and pedophiles,
Knowing they could never hurt me.
He would do the deed himself.

It’s hard to sleep in the alleyway, 
where the roaches click their tune,
Under the dumpster divers 
fighting for scraps of rotted food 
in their rotted clothes; with their rotted hearts 

drowning in dirt and yesterdays

Subject to the most primal instinct, 
To kill a man for food is to live 
in the hands of god, 

under the devil’s watchful eyes
in the alley way.

Author's Note

Pic courtesy of Whit @ buryme.webs.com

Reviews

[Tony Jordan]

You grow up quick or you get dead quick on the streets.
Love the image of the devil holding the walls apart - reminded me of the garbage disposal scene in Star Wars.
I think the devils eyes might have been sodium street lamps - orange and glowing which would certainly be freaky is sleeping rough for the first time.
Good one Brett. Unique subject matter. I like that.

[David Scott]

Vivid and dirty.
I could smell the devil's breath and see his eyes greedy for more suffering.
I'm not sure I like how the line about living "in the hand of god". I know what your saying here but it feels like you have something more pointed to say to this god or to God directly.
I don't know, it just felt out of place with the write the way it was said here.
Strong write on my book.

[Baby Ricochet]

Kinda dirty and creepy. I think I'm gonna take a shower now.

[Brett Moore]

Watch out for the thing behind the curtain...

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Wow, this is incredibly deep and poignant (why am I always starting my reviews to you with "wow"? I do know other words...) I love the dark, stark grittiness of this one. There is a raw, emotional energy here that just begs one to look beneath and between the lines; to delve a little deeper than the surface reading, as it were.

And I, just a child, played hide and seek
with the drug addicts and pedophiles,
Knowing they could never hurt me.

These are strong lines, my friend. Amazing.

Only little suggestion...the last two lines:

Could "in the hands of god, Under the devil's watchful eyes" be split into two lines?

Overall, another amazing read.

[Brett Moore]

Done and Done. I have been meaning to do that. I fixed that in my draft here at home.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

:)

[NebraskaHope]

I love the usage of words in this poem, very deep and emotional . great job

[Brett Moore]

Thank you!

[Quill~]

I get a dark and dangerous vibe from this write, demons tend to lurk in the alley way (especially at night). You take the reader on a tour of something sinister. Well penned.

[Brett Moore]

You should have seen the place that spawned this idea.