The outing

Sea Shells and seaweed in their hands
They sip on diet coke and Sunny D
Eyes filled with adventure, “look what I’ve found” they say
In this place they have no belongings, no home no fear
Freedom sweeps away their doubts
Seeps them in drunken pleasure
No rules, no worries, no fear
Here they feel the sea on their rusty feet
Sand sinking as they walk
The wrinkles and lines on their faces disappear with innocent smiles.

Sometimes I feel guilty for taking them on these trips
Back to the streets the bus burns black fuel
Smiles turn to grimaces of experience
Eyes no longer twinkle, dark glasses go on
The streets bustle with shopping trolleys
Men lick cocaine from the sidewalks
Shop windows display bars and defaces
Sidewalks covered in broken glass while shelters offer help for addiction
The bus rustles through the forest of the city
A faint light beams from within, as they leave to their budget inns and Paradise hotels
With cheap mattresses and yellow curtains
They walk above the broken glass, their feet sinking into wt sand
The sea splashing on their rusty feet.