Shots ring out across the night sky
Screeching tires and clouds of smoke illuminated by the dim glow of street lamps
A quick exchange of hands
Two bags traded for cash in the form of a handshake
Off in the distance the sirens can be heard wailing an announcement of their arrival
The cries of innocents are amplified and yet go unheard
A loud rush of feet dashing across the pavement like that of a stampede
The steel jingle of a chain link fence being scaled in a hurry
The click of stilettos crossing from corner to car side
A brief arrangement paid for in the passenger seat
The red glow of tail lights lighting up the night sky like an emergency flair
Just overhead a single pair of Converse dangles like a monkey in a tree
Their symbol nothing more than a deception for the naïve
Such a land would seem a nightmare to those of privilege
A land of barred windows and missing doors
Where floors and beds are one in the same
In this world, just standing up can find you catching a stray bullet
It is a place where colors have the power to take life
Where words truly can hurt you more than sticks or stones
But to those who would call this jungle home
It’s just another night.