there just around the corner walking slowly

lost in thought then pinned to the moment

pierced by a colorful scrawl of graffiti

the fading paint of a decrepit window

the sudden white of a stranger’s smile

if not for these that hold me

I would disappear

identity discarded like an unwashed shirt

left to be trodden into rags

by feet and wheels and jagged claws

some few memories glittering on the pavement

a hint of laughter smeared on the curb