An Unfamiliar World

Alone on a darkened street corner,
in an unfamiliar world
One of violence and despair
I walk on for no cab dares to venture here
From the shadows, a man asks for a light
I dare not look his way
I walk on as he curses me
Ahead, a group of men waiting
I cross the street and they follow
My heart beats fast from within
I can not turn back, for I am walking out of this jungle
I smell pot, and they are upon me
They surround me, and then, they are past me
I dare not look back
Now a woman approaches me,
her make up she wears like a mask,
and she costs little
But I walk on
A man lies on the sidewalk,
Is he dead?
He blocks my path, I step over him and he groans
I see a night creature lying in his own vomit
I walk on hoping for a miracle, or a cab
A scream pierces the air, where it came from, I do not know
I begin to run, I am lost, panic clouds my thoughts
They are after me,
and I run
I duck down an alley, across a parking lot,
I run
My chest cries out to me, my legs fail me,
and I fall
I look around, no one is there
My hands hurt, they are bleeding
And the night is in full bloom
I am truly lost now
The creatures of the night will come for me,
so I hide, and wait
And finally, sleep over takes me,
but there is no relief there,
for I dream, and they are after me
And suddenly, it is over
I awake, and it is morning
My clothes are torn, my hands swollen
I emerge from my hiding to find,
that I am almost home
I laugh at my discovery
This is not a jungle, it is my neighborhood