Alleys

(Published in Rising, August 1998)

I hate alleys with a cheerful hue,
'Just up one's alley' and I puke.
I like alleys at the end of things.

I like alleys where there's no way out,
Its flesh seeping on my flesh
Secrets oozing in the night.

I love alleys with a tight hole,
A darkly inland embouchure,
The impasse of the deep dead end.