Street Life

by Christine Redderoth-Roderick
(Southbury, CT)

Each night Oscar would roam the streets
looking for a dark place to hide.
A place where he could sleep tucked away
from the dangers of the night.
During the day he would walk the streets
carefully observing those who walked amongst him.
He would inhale the smells from the street vendors,
wishing just once he could afford
to buy something to eat.
He would listen to the sounds of the street.
Occasionally he would hear music coming from
a building nearby and he would find himself
getting lost in the images of his mind.
The heat from the cars would
wash over him as they drove past.
Taking in the essence of the city was something
he had become accustomed to.
It was how he spent his mornings, his afternoons,
his evenings before he again headed
off into the dark of the night.
Oscar used to half joke that he was only
one paycheck from living on the street.
His social circles were large and vast,
something he always felt secure in.
Oscar just didn’t realize how fleeting security was.
















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