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