Chapter 2


You walk through the city at night, and you fall in love with it.

During the day, nature decides what color to paint the world. Nature has a pale gray fetish.

At night, the city decides what color to paint the world. The city never changes its mind. Screw pale gray the city says, let’s add some romance. Neon light against black background. Perfection. When had neon light against black background not been the most beautiful contrast in the world? When has it not inspired poetry and taken your breath away? Neon light against black background is mankind getting to decide what there world will look like from sunset to sunrise, it’s all they have, and it may be the one thing they got right.

You walk down the street in love with this city but in hate with these people. This is your life.

Come on I need some change, I needs to buy myself I sandwich, please, can you help me? All I need is eighty cents to buy myself a sandwich…please, can you help me?

Her rags were old, her hair net well worn, her baby, a crack.

num num num num num.

Her child was seven, maybe seven eight, his eyes where whited out, his black skin stained a pale flake, that must have been the only word he knew, num.

She’s cornered me, I’m waiting for the red hand to change to a white man walking. I felt in my pocket for a dollar, grasped it, and put it in her had.

I mean all I need is two dollars to gets myself a sandwich, please, can you help me?

num num num num.

The price in sandwiches must be steadily increasing. I wonder how she got the update so quickly?

I think I just did I say.

She nods her head and says yes, she requests that god blesses me, and wanders off down the sidewalk with her offspring.

num num num num num num.

The white man is walking proud, which means now I can. I cross the street and continue my journey on this sidewalk of adventure. It’s amazing how quickly the rich district changes into the slums. Women in designer dresses, standing outside a hotel laughing because some funny anecdote was just told, then bam! Women in pajama pants cackling because they can’t stop.

One second you’re looking at the windows in the elitist fashion industry, a small piece of fabric sewn in Malaysia, formed into a hat and fitted on the head of an anorexic mannequin. Eight nine ninety eight, plus tax.

Next second you can’t look through the windows, the boards prevent that. The streets tell it all. A small piece of fabric made in Malaysia formed into a hat and fitted on the head of an overweight bum. He’s stuffed his jacket with last weeks newspaper, and he found the hat in the side street, all run over. How foolish he looks, didn’t he know that this style of head covering was last years thing? It flew off the head of some young girl hanging out of her boyfriends car window, arms spread out, mimicking an Old Navy commercial where life is just plain crazy like that.

The contrast is rich and true. Neon on Black. What would one be without the other?

I pass one ally, the bums are asleep, another, hiding behind a dumpster, another, hiding in his cloths, fetal position, another, and there’s one standing at the very opening of his ally, and he’s pointing a gun right at me.

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