Morning in Naked City
by
Debra Rose
(Age: 21)
copyright 03-04-2006
Age Rating: 16 to 127
Drug deals ceased, the cops
find nothing to do
in the early morning beats
The light deflecting off the
top of run down pinto's and Chevy's
in Naked City.
A couple walks past the congested arteries
of run down streets and
traffic at a stand still.
The smell of cigarettes, eggs
and "genuine Mexican Restaurants"
waft, mingled with the scent of
exhaust,
adding an atmospheric feel
of an awkward home.
Buzzing construction crews,
crying children,
and Saturday morning cartoons
can be heard from the areas of
the apartment buildings.
I snuff out my cigarette on the glass
table that I'm sitting at
outside the Starbucks, eyes
ferverently locked on a stumbling bum
grasping for somewhere to rest.
Hangover's and sobriety remain
his only, unwanted friend,
dirty hands begging for a dime.
"Just one more drink," he murmurs
to the voice accompanying him,
tongue thick with accent.
The American dream,
I think idly to myself,
shifting uncomfortably as a boy
with baggy pants and a backward
hat wanders by.
Drug deals and homeless
line the street of broken dreams
left over from the
people who came here
looking for the pavement of gold.
What did it feel like when they discovered
the racism and poverty
America has to offer?
I light up again.
Mr. Voices across the street catches
glimpse of flame and scents of menthol,
and eyes starving and greedy
he walks to me.
I never break eye contact,
watching with a hint of mirth as he
holds out a shaking palm,
"Can I bum one?"
"Sure," I reply. They're cheap anyway,
Indian Reservation brand--
the kind you buy in their casinos
(What an enterprise, an honor to their
ancestors!)
I light it up,
hand it over,
and slip him a ten.
His eyes go wide,
his toothless smile gleams.
"Thanks, kid!" he gushes, before quickly
running across the traffic, as if
afraid I'd change my mind.
I wonder how long it's been since someone
has treated him kind.
Authors Not: Naked City is one of the oldest, original parts of Las Vegas. It's located near the Stratosphere, and it's the place where the original showgirls used to sunbathe naked. Men would come and look through the fences around the hotels and places they stayed at, and could watch them lying naked in the sun to avoid tan lines.
It now stands to be one of the more dangerous parts of town.
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A slice of pie that doesn't catch many eyes. This describes the real visions of the naked city and not just the glamor on the tube! Very nice, but what I have come to expect from you. Thanks and I hope you are well, Anthony
Haven't read anything of yours in a while. Gotta say I liked this a lot. I think it has the potential to be the coolest rap song EVER if you can bust a coupla rhymes in there. Couldn't tell if you were disappointed in the Native Americans running casinos or not, but they really need everything they can get. Poor bastards got the biggest misfortune imaginable.
Guess that's my only piece. Buts some rhymes and see what happens. I heard a backbeat and everything when I was reading this.
Another one of your vivid poems with good imagery as your voice comes shining through with great emotion. Not a view most of us would like to see, but someone must show it. You're rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors here.
Typo:What did it feel like when they **discoered
Favorite lines:
"Can I bum one?"
"Sure," I reply. They're cheap anyway,
Indian Reservation brand--
the kind you buy in their casinos
(What an enterprise, an honor to their
ancestors!)
This poem is like a sad, but beautiful, haunting melody,
Wow! - The seedy side of Vegas, and most people just see the glamour of the strip. I was there in May, 2005 and was careful not to wander off the strip, except to visit a couple relatives who live there. The same thing as Hawaii; most people never see the real thing, just the lush hotels and beaches.
Good write, Debra. You show good knowledge of Las Vegas and present it in a most imaginative way.
Debra: you've caught the essence of the inner city (your poem could describe any major city in America)...beautifully expanded, really a sprawling image, scalding, piercing, gorgeous black and white (like a film noir) with a rendering of life's big sadness. It is true-some in the ultimate sense. This portion of Las Vegas must be particularly wretched, sinister, crime-ridden. Boy, you really hit a bull's eye with this one. Really hit me in the gut! Excellent
What a disturbing picture you have painted.
We here in the UK imagine Las Vegas to be a place for entertainment, where people go to escape reality. Your look at reality is a totally different view.
Obviously this is not the city portrayed in Hollywood films. The down side in them has always been the gangster, although even they are made out to be somewhat romantic figures.
Is this the flip side of the much vaunted American Dream?
It sounds more of a nightmare.
Hi, this was very informative. It's amazing how much there is, that we are not aware of. We live in a great country. But we must educate ourselves so we can be able to enjoy the things that our country has to offer. In other words, what good does it do you to have every tool in the world, if you don't know how to use them?
Thanks, for writing this.
Welcome !
