I am from the unsafe neighborhoods in Chicago.
Knees
bend
at the thunderous BOOMs whose echoes Ping-Pong in the sky
Lonely bullets
acquaint
themselves with the friendly flesh of
children
double-dutching
on rough, unleveled pavement
Professional pedophiles
patrol
school zones
Gang graffiti
embellish
buildings
Victims, criminals, and nosy bystanders
Tango
to the never-ending melody of emergency response sirens
There is no place like home.