In a dark alley


In a dark, narrow alley,
Hidden in shadow,
A small insignificant bundle hides

A small beam of light
Reflected off a passing car
Illuminates the alley

The ragged bundle of dirty clothes
Flinches and shrinks back from the light
For a moment its face shines in the gloom

A child, small and dirty
Hiding from the world
Shielding its scars in shadow

Dark shaggy hair falls over its eyes
Its dull lifeless eyes
Eyes that have seen too much

Creeping back into shadow
The child try’s to remain small and insignificant
A dark lump in the alley

Pressing itself into a corner
It moves as far away from the entrance
As possible

People pass by
Absorbed in their own worlds
Never feeling the dull eyes fixed on them

Always watchful, always mindful
Recoiling away at sudden movements
Venturing out only to move to a new safe haven

When darkness falls it moves
Scuttling down the narrow alley
It darts its way down the street
Sticking as close to the buildings and shadows

Moving on away from the past
Towards a new place
But its scars remain
Binding it to hid forever in the shadows

rien151's poems