This too is my neighborhood

Yes, I know this neighborhood.
I peruse it every day like urban scripture
as my train shuttles between Grand Central
and my lush suburban town.
The run-down buildings, the graffiti walls,
the unadorned church with just a simple cross
— I know them! They are
monuments of hopelessness and decay
where jobless men stare out of their window
with blank faces, meditating on
the lives that have passed them by.
Staring into their curtainless apartments,
I look for clues into their souls,
trying to FEEL the way they live.
My eyes search through their playground,
looking for laughter, looking for children
who have not forgotten how to play
and smile….