Open Sewers, Bloated Rats

Dizzy drunkards, shady bars and vomit on the street
Vacant houses, stolen cars
and midnight scorching heat
Battered spouses, shattered trust and fear lurks in the heart
Idyllic love turned to dust
and bleakness works its part
Jaded children, gang warfare and truancy from school
Forlorn mothers in despair
and fathers playing pool
Homeless people, hopeless stares and countless broken dreams
Market carts push their affairs
and many silent screams
Tawdry storefronts, sex for sale and needle marks in arms
Social programs simply fail
and desolation harms
Open sewers, bloated rats and squalor everywhere
Starving dogs and turgid cats
and fetor in the air