A thru Z (The ghetto and me)

A run down shack with an old alley out back is what I call home

B eaten down neighborhood slowly turns into a ghetto

C ausing it's residents such havoc and confusion

D esperate children run the streets

E veryone wonders where their parents are

F ilthy delapitated boarded up houses and vacant buildings

G arages, highway over passes and railroad cars painted with graffiti

H alfway houses, drug rehab centers, battered women's shelters on the rise

I ndigent, impoverished and needy are the homeless people on the streets

J ust a few of the atrociously horrible things I see here in the hood

K eep off the grass, beware of the dog, for rent and for sale signs everywhere

L iving here is a joke as the drug dealers openly sell their lethal drugs

M unicipal schools have had to lock their doors

N o one enters without passing through a metal detector

O ppressed population of the inner city by thugs toting guns and knives

P olice departments having to make cutbacks, less officers patrolling

Q uestions arise in our worried minds

R estoration of inner city houses doesn't help but a selected few

S cavengers looking through trash for food, clothing and disgarded treasures

T his is the plight of the underpriveleged poor and a stagnant economy

U nemployment is on the rise and there are too many low paying jobs

V ice versa either way you go it's a catch twenty-two

W hy does it have to be like this I wonder...

X tra! Xtra! Read all about it! The newspapers scream of crime on

Y our streets as you sit there in your cozy living room and look the other way

Z ap! You just push the button on your remote control TV change the channel

Reviews

[R J Askew]

Ach, this is a portrait of a dying society. There is something deeply wrong at the heart of this society. It is tremendously sad. I used to thing Congo the worst place on earth... The question is: what is to be done? A fine write that bares all. It is sad to admit that things are not right in our own lives ... this poem goes further.

[Dave "Doc" Rogers]

A segment of society painted in harsh colors and reality. Thanks for serving this up. Thanks for your perspective. This was good work. The difficulty is masked in the how fluid the dialogue works as you tell the story. Good work. Cheers!

[Helen Woodward]

Yes, it is too easy to change the channel. You are so brilliant with the treatment you give to the humble acrostic. This says it all, everything we worry about is written on this page and prevalent in every society...where are we headed? God only knows.
Thank you for this, I love it when writers bring awareness to important issues.
Cheers,

Helen :-)

[emmajoy]

What a brilliant piece of writing, very clever in every way. You've used the alphabet in great style and dealt with a tragic way of living, your descriptions though brief tell a thousand stories. The fact that in a throw away society people still live like this is hell on earth.

A great write. Thank you for reminding me what happens in this world and doing so in such a sensitive yet powerful manner.

[lawrence bear]

this is a good piece, Ilike how you weaved that form a to z, awesome.

[Nancy Lee Shrader]

Congrats on your great winning poem!

[reca-becca]

Well This Poem Speaks Words. Bbut I Don't Know If It Belongs In The Forget It Contest For It Doesn't Talk About Breaking All the Rules And Having Fun For One Day. I Will Tell You That This Is Going In My Library, But As For The Contest, Just Let Me Think About It First.
Great Write.
Reca-Becca

[Captain Blackheart (The..]

A piece that holds nothing back, the world especial inner cities are becoming much worse. There is little that seem's to be done about this and everything to help then decend into chaos and violence. I have never lived in an inner city and I don't think I ever will. You paint a grim but realistic picture with your words.

[Rick Puetter]

Dear Debileah,

Definitely the abc's of the ghetto. Snap-shot glimpses. Brief cameos. Each line painting another stroke on the canvas. Impressionism at its finest.

Well done!

Best regards,

Rick

[George Love]

Well, you always come up with these wonderful acrostics and you do it with a style all your own. You always write things you care deeply about and you express your passion very well. You never mince your words or take a back seat to anyone and this work shows your deep passion and willingness to be the outspoken champion of WC. Great stuff!

[Lizanne]

The rebel Debi with a cause. That is a compliment, because you seem to fight for the things in which you believe. I salute you dear friend. You would fight for anothers rights and they would stand there and allow you to do so. That is the pity with society today. You and others who see the decay of both human and property values, are left holding the bag for those that are flooding the neighborhoods with their corruption. This is not just happening in the larger cities, but all across this country. Then only answer is to have a harsher penalty for those who choose to corrupt and tear down our society. But alas this has been going on since time began. We just have more access to the knowlege of it from the modern day way of communicating. Your writing was both impacting and stirring. It would make a person want to take up this cause and fight. You address and describe the issues of society on the moral decline so well. I admire you for your willingness to speak out. That in itself is a beginning to maybe winning this fight.