The Alleyway

Today I took a turn down a dark alleyway

It was dark and grey and reeked of filth and decay

Down at the end I found an entrance to a church

Inside, a strange guttural voice could be heard

The door creaked shut as I moved to a front row pew

From there I had an unobstructed view

I was barely aware of others in my periphery

As I listened to this minister of misery

I listened to this creature speak for far too long

I got up and left as the choir broke into song

In the rain I hunched to a street corner

Where I encountered another torture

Through a shop window was this man in a box

Smugly rambling on in a rant that never stops

With the same old words and obvious polarity

But yet I stayed and heard this herald of heresy

I broke my daze and looked along the littered street

I watched eyeless strangers as the rain turned to sleet

I turned back to the television to hear more absurdity

On the screen now was the leader of lunacy

This was a path I needn’t have taken

I had a choice to walk any street— to any destination

I could have walked through the park— or to a café

But, again— for some reason— I chose the alleyway

JArtB

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021