Midday At A Brothel Poem by Matt Render

It's midday outside a brothel
Pacing through the alleyway
Sunlight is cloaked in shadows
Of brick tenements
Concealing the afternoon.
The steam and humidity
Is foul
And it wears away
the chintzy wallpaper
Wheezing
Leaving a stench in its wake
Of unresolved grievances
And debts unpaid
And immodest graces
And I want to call my grandmother
And my mom
And my sister
And My daughter
And tell them
It's all okay
Everything
Is okay
Even though
It isn't