'Til the Need Seeps In

This place.
No cement block has never seen blood.
Washed away in the rain.
Down the gutter.
Mounds of trash.
Careless litter.
Bums.
Gangsters.
Racism.
Things you can't deny when living here.
It's not all about shopping.
Restaurants.
Glamor.
No.
It's about fear.
Murder.
Rape.
Anxiety.
That's what New Yorkers live.
Everyday.
Fear.
Fear of mugging.
Fear of rape.
Fear of murder.
Fear of kidnapping.
Death.
They'll deny it all they want.
But they know it.
White women grip their purses tighter in ethnic areas.
The Asians drive badly.
The Spanish are loud.
The African Americans all law breakers.
The Caucasians are clueless.
Racism is the backbone of New York society.
It's all the same.
Everybody thinks badly of one another.
But still,
We work together.
We befriend each other.
We dine.
We laugh.
We enjoy.
As much as I hate this town.
I can't leave it.
The expenses are way too much.
My neighborhood is dangerous.
The people are rude.
And I can't leave.
I know this.
As much as I want to,
I can't.
Rural? Too far from the world.
Suburban? Too quiet.
City? Perfect.
I can't live anywhere else.
But how am I supposed to live this way?
Well, I have to.
There isn't a choice.