BRANDON SHANE

between three blocks

connected by old asphalt
aged by potholes and cinder
sidewalks usurped by weeds
bullet homes with enough
character for a hundred
marble floored mansions
the smoke of decrepit engines
coal fired plants & black lungs
churning pollution like butter
the toxified air that has left many
with asthma & chronic coughs
conjuring a father’s last exhale
a single mother’s struggle
yet there is an immortal
addiction to the sun & rain
spiced stews that radiate incense
raucous dances & moonshine nights
blooded & bloodless families
dark alleys waning metal & flesh
fountains of the undying soul
mystifying to the uninitiated
& tourists on their decked buses
these forgotten blocks exist
in every city & every heart
who has been lucky
and unlucky enough
to have tasted the magic
& the poison

Brandon Shane is a Japanese American alum of California State University, Long Beach, where he majored in English. He’s pursuing an MFA while working as a writing instructor and substitute teacher. You can see his work in Acropolis Journal, Grim & Gilded, All Existing Magazine, Bitterleaf Books, Salmon Creek Journal, BarBar Literary Magazine, Discretionary Love, among others. Find him on Twitter @Ruishanewrites