I stood in the light, burning, dying a little more with each caress
Layer by layer the skin sloughed away
And twirled like peeling paint in the rancid waters that swirled around my feet
Firmly planted in the gutter
Cigarette butts, dirty condoms and my flesh swept into the sewer
Racing out to sea with the vermin
And the myths of alligators feeding in the putrid depths
What had I hoped to find, perched there on the fringe of humanity like a broken doll
What had I hoped to find, souring above the city on broken wings
Hurtling to the ground only to crumble like an unwanted toy
My shattered pattern reduced to dust on dirty streets
Unnoticed