Read by Shawna Butler
The walls are covered in paint—
Faces, words, symbols I don’t understand—
And the asphalt is hot and black,
I keep walking.
The houses are tall and thin,
Bars cover the windows
And the air feels thicker
When the smell of expensive perfume
Floats from the windows,
I keep walking.
Voices drift by my ears,
In another language
And the sidewalk is crowded—
Every one of my senses feels alive
And I keep walking
Trying to hold on to all of it.