heat flow

under the hiawatha overpass

it’s shadows get crowded on franklin avenue

for years i’ve traveled this street

back and forth and to and from to see

tents and faces coming and going

i see the shooting up and smoking

fentanyl cheap and plentiful

vehicles delivering substances, vehicles delivering food and water

humans getting high, humans bent down in suffering

humans helping each other, humans feeding one another

what’s happening here touching everyone who sees

sun keeps rising, sun keeps setting

as the kids in peavey park just keep playing

medians now islands ringed in chain link

cops come in waves and city keeps sweeping

but what’s happening takes more than cleaning

arrive at work and pretend i didn’t just see this

head home and post on social media

pictures of some other world completely

and it gets to me, it gets to me

how can i share this story and stop pretending

stop looking away as if i can roll past this

as if i wasn’t right here in this

not above but traveling through

my face too on franklin avenue

problem is no picture captures this humanity

i know no frame of mine is worthy

of all the pain, of all the beauty

so i try to put into words what i’m seeing but

these words are just another human story in the shadows

crowded under the overpass trying to get to ______