he drove through his old hometown
that used to be like a patch of buildings
in the tapestry of greater Chicago
where crime was nearly nonexistent
where streets were never congested
the traffic had become stop and go
he saw thieves running out of a store
with bags of stolen goods
homeless people were everywhere
he got disgusted by the changes
he rolled down his car window
to catch a breath of air
and coughed from the smog
rolled the window back up
turned his car around
and beelined out of the city
never to return again
bob boyd
