
By: Tony L. Jefferson, Jr.
The culture of deceit rises high
High enough to touch the grimy sky
Filled with the cries of the forsaken, the forgotten, the cursed
Misery coats the city streets with greed and depression
The people no longer care, for they are numb to any positive light that might shine upon them
Beautiful people, masked by the ugliness of the environment that preys upon their sanity
Forsaken, defeated, trampled by the rising cost of living
The lights struggle to stay lit; the water comes out in chunks
The leaders of the city are but figure heads with a status
They don’t know the struggle of the people
Or they do but do they really care
As long as they can sit fat at the table of success
No one else in the city matters a bit
So the crime rises and takes hold
The drugs become bold and strangles the life out of the youth
Good friends turn to enemies
And the people forget their own kind
They are just existing, not truly living
Working but not succeeding
Liking but not loving





lovely.
=] well written.
your message within your writing conveyed, well done. How true, how sad, and how frustrating. The condition appears to big to be tackled. But hope still resides, we take back our cities one stone at a time, one person at a time, one family at a time and it all starts with me and you. Thanks for the thought provoking writing.
The image you chose to use is truly haunting. It pulls you in and is the perfect complement to your poem.
Mary
i realy like your composition of words,it paints a clear picture in the reader’s mind.