As I walk through the street, I see a town that used to be vibrant with life from outside my body

Bare bones of storefronts jutting out, covered by graffiti

People displaced by greed

Trash blowing in the wild like tumbleweeds

The infrastructure is beautiful

But the life is long gone

It can’t be our fault

It’s just how it goes

Bystanders to violence aren’t at fault, right?

My steps fall heavy on the dirty concrete

As I watch the scenery change

Less trash

Less mess

More pristine

More order

The heaviness leaves me

I feel hollow, but I’m lighter

My grief fades from my mind as I slip right back into normal life

Right back to where I’m supposed to be

Leaving the ghost town behind me and stepping back into what I know

Where I’m comfortable

Yet, I feel the eyes of the people who once lived there watch me

Their children robbed of the lives they could’ve lived

With every step I take, my feet are held up by the eyes’ corpses

My advantage passed down to me

Is the same advantage that was stolen from them