Paved Streets For Ill-Mannered Poem by Mario, Lucien, Rene Odekerken

The streets stretch wide, smooth with indifference,
bearing the weight of hurried feet,
where elbows sharpen against the air,
and voices spill without caution.

A man steps forward, eyes fixed ahead,
never turning to notice the space he takes,
never pausing to yield, to nod, to see
the life brushing past his shoulder.

A child drops a glove-forgotten in an instant,
kicked aside by hurried steps,
as if the world owed no glances,
as if hands were meant only for taking.

The pavement does not judge,
nor do the buildings that lean in silence,
watching without sighs or scorn,
as doors close without waiting,
as hearts move without listening.

Yet the wind still weaves between them,
whispering of softer roads elsewhere,
where footsteps slow,
and kindness lingers.