The night holds no promise
This empty street provides no forgiveness
Between the shadows
That dominate the cleaved
Cobblestone paths
The uneven steps
Cautiously treaded upon
By the pointed shoes
She wears like a sandwich board
As the street surrenders
Mist and fog in the cold night air
The dampness cuts
A knife prickling the skin
And hair standing on end
On arms
On neck
A chill that crushes bone
And a mortal cry
For sanctuary
In this aquarium
The eyes watching through the glass
Between the buildings
A towering cityscape
Of these judging eyes
She feels these eyes
Hiding behind the curtains and blinds
Under the glow of the moon
Circled by its holier-than-thou halo
High above and removed
So purely preserved
From the sins of the city it smiles upon
But its ancient craters and scars
Evidence of its abuse
The past pain of living to serve another
And never given
A chance to recover
But still it shines on
Even if only to reflect the light of another
To give the other hope
In the darkest of nights
When the stars don’t provide
The guidance
And the clouds creep in
Shadowing the world
She walks between these shadows
Each night
Judged and scorned
By those surrounded by their own halos
Glowing not by their own light
And as unforgiving as the street at night
These judging eyes
Unwilling to speak
Deaf to her testimony
Still putting her on trial
For the sins they only read about
In the second section of the newspaper
And what they see on television
Their sympathy never exists
For those already convicted
Placed on trial by their eyes
And their judgment
In the alleys and city streets
Under the light of the moon

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

November, 2008.

Remember, no matter who you run into in life, they have a story. There is a reason they are who they are, and many times you simply cannot understand why.

Reserve your judgments, show tolerance, and offer the forgiveness from one loving person to another, that they may have never received otherwise.