"With Red Veins"

By Jessica Ruiz

With red veins in my eyes
I try to clear my mind
Just to read through the lines
But this Red sign
Denies my designs
To find a compromise
In this land of gray skies
Bad tempers and muffled cries
Kid push coke at the age of nine
And usually meet their demise
Before reaching the age of twenty-five
It’s in the cold streets of Philly I reside
A crack in the Liberty Bell
Tells how I feel inside
How can you survive?
When on every ave
You’ll find a snake in the grass
Black Demons lurk in your past
Walking the streets of Philly is like
Cutting your toes on broken glass
Every time you turn your back
You brace for another stab
And on every other turn
Another obstacle blocks your path
You ask why I always frown?
Simply it hurts to laugh
Because inhaling city air
Is like engulfing poisonous gas
And those who do smile
They’re simple wearing a mask
My home of Philadelphia,
The right and the wrong continue to clash
The soul of Philadelphia
Is defaced and littered with trash

(Photo: LAURENCE KESTERSON / Inquirer Staff Photographer)