Darkness descends, the streets are

                                                               foreboding

hooded gangs prowl

dim lights hide shapes in the shadows

the toxic city wakes

masks abound

around closed shops and stores

few cars emit polluting gases

and strangers, eyes down

pass each other.

Winter draws near

the fear still lingers

the year has been like no other

the bodies piled up

the loneliness has eased

but memories

ah memories

remembering when things were fine

when we all lived together

trusting

rightly or wrongly

not now,

its changed

the world is strange

the future remains bleak

as we seek

answers

answers which aren’t there

because leaders didn’t care

egos got in the way sanity

and many suffered

the toxic city prepares

for a long, dark winter.