[THE MAN]
I was nearly home
When I saw a dead boy
Crumpled in an alleyway
No, not dead. Just drunk
Lanky and slim, youngish but grim
No one claimed him
Something had to be done

There beside the boy
I could see his iPhone
Folded in his little palm
There. Unlocked... Sent calls
Dozens of men, named by description

"Short Blue Eyes"; "Muscles Cologne";
"Kissed Me Inside a Stall"
These weren't names
These weren't friends
These were the means to his bitter ends
I hailed a car and held him close

Why is this life so cruel?
And why is the city so cold?
The world swallows every fool
And no good, no good can it hold
Soon to his address
When I knocked, they answered
Laughing at this drunken boy
His room, a mess, no light
Suitcase dumped out, change on the dresser
Not enough for coffee
Not enough for tomorrow
I placed his keys
With his phone beside
And before I left
I pulled out my knife...

Why is this life so cruel?
And why is the city so cold?
The world swallows every fool
And no good, no good can it hold