Sidewalking

For the city at night...

The night's sidewalk sits along
Broken streets, strewn with
Tempered glass, and streetlights
blinking on and off with the vagaries of wind.

Pop! Pop! Pop! rings out
Echoes off crumbling walls
Fireworks or gunshots, no matter,
The sounds are distant
And in keeping with the atmosphere.

The sidewalk rises and falls
Like a roller coaster in the making
Or the surf whipping up just before a storm
Rolling to an abrupt stop at the corner
Where it's fingers spread out in two directions.

Each slips away before darkened houses
The odd light blinks on and off
Saying its hellos and warnings
While each lone pedestrian stumbles by
Head down, hands in pockets, shoulders slumped
Forward to show what they don't see and aren't doing.

The houses sit closely together
Though lonely and isolated
Afraid of the resounding distant sirens
Presaging the future and calling
Memories buried in shallow graves yet not dead.

Author's Note

Comments and suggestions welcome.