Parading Grey Street

Dying in the turning of a corner
The main street noise
Now just the ghost of a whisper
Slipped stealthy into the darkness
Where the ladies sat in cheap finery
On a low brick wall
Spot lighted for a moment
By crawling car beams.

The grey sky dawned
On the still of morning
Stragglers hurried
From the shrouded eye of the sun
Vanishing beneath the derelict frames
Of the old buildings,
Shadows of neglect
Their tarnished grandeur paraded Grey St.

Stories wrapped in quiet harmony
Wound down the stairs
Weaving patterns through the
Heavy still air of an unlit passage,
Trails to mingle with the residue
Of life, passing through
Shut within his room
He played with dreams,
His dark curls twisted
Entwined with neglect
Framed the face, absorbed,
His mind flew with supple fingers
Along the fretted
Slender neck of his guitar.

In the quiet across the hall
Amongst tawdry trinkets
Of years spent alone
She lay cocooned in the dip of the sagging mattress
Eyes blinded by the reapers touch,
Dust that flew silver in the sunlight
To dance with her tiny footprints
Now rested on the faded tapestry, threadbare rug,
Just a faint smell wafted
Underneath her locked door.

Behind the wall
The old man shuffled
Dragging the heavy years
As his feet brushed the floor
Fatigue in every step
Head bent into
His dirty grey beard
Wiry spikes protruding
In defiance at the world
He discussed the inequalities of life
With friends, found in the bottle.

In the last room
At the end of the hall
A small cockroach scuttled
Unseen by sleepless eyes
That lay shuttered
Upon the unwashed pillow,
A shaft of sunlight
Pierced the gloom within
Touching the grayish pallor of her skin
With a caress of warm yellow light
Shining across the fabricated balcony
That hid the hotels eroded aristocratic face
She lay waiting, motionless,
Denying the ache
She forgot in the night.

The sun sank unnoticed
Red glow burning the surface of the sea,
The dark grew upon the world.
The main street was born again
As street lights shone
On the bustling trade
And the cars crept slowly
Down Grey Street