city streets lined with grey
cement
pulsing with heat waves
swallow whole
the few remaining remnants
of this boredom-locked town.
no ports or shores to speak of,
no oil to go dry.
just a few dusty old mines,
and some dusty old minds,
to go with them.

you can sit on the rooftops
overlooking the entire
down
town
and not see another
person
for miles.
i used to sit
on an old dried up fountain
outside of an old italian pizza shop
and just watch the people go
(and go...)
the mayor's since had the fountain
fixed, in an effort to
rejuvenate downtown life,
but it's not the same:
there's no one there anymore,
the fountain's the only thing
that's alive.

it was an easy enough
place
to grow up in.
there was always lots
of trouble to be had.
but it's a hard place to return to
when you've seen there's
actually other places that
live and breathe
and fill you with mock hope.
but this city is dying
- my friends -
and i feel that i am going to go
down with the ship.