The Dark Alleys Are Deserted Poem by Raj Arumugam

the dark alleys are deserted
and the fields are dry;
light reveals bareness
and the nights conceal
the blankness
in faces in posters


the paper litter flap their wings in the gutters
and the empty cans roll across the streets;
the cold wind blows steady
slaps one’s face
and bites one’s ears;
the occasional stranger smiles weakly
and the cat stares with a witch’s glare:
one walks alone in nights
and walks long;
one stays awake nights
and crawls along


the dark alleys are deserted
and the fields are dry;
light reveals bareness
and the nights conceal
the blankness
in faces in posters