His voice competed boldly against sidewalk clutter and boisterous buses hissing to abrupt stops. His beard twisted like ocean ropes to his chest, brushing over the top portion of a blue or maybe green shirt; gray stained pants and untied boots creased from roughness completed his wardrobe. He lifted with authority a bible, quoting verses, … More STREET MAN
Late night breezes drift over cooling sidewalks, circling vendors with hands of profit and eyes labored with sleep. Paper lanterns, the skin of butterflies twist lazily, casting light fragments onto storefronts and strangers. Voices, parts of sentences and half words pass under weathered awnings; the air is thick like legs running underwater. Lime Street breathes … More LIME STREET
Walk to me the songs crawling silently like cats at night stalking the dark with eyes piercing deep into me. Tie my thoughts with the strings of a righteous bass preaching sternly to my ears the message of jazz. Help me snap my fingers free like running legs of children against the wind, never … More TEACH ME THE JAZZ
KEROUAC’S ROOM A brown box radio plays scratchy songs into a room where outside neon lights breathe a fuzzy hum of blue and red through weathered curtains as the river far below rumbles deep past the town covered in soot as he groans out a snappy beat on a pawn shop … More KEROUAC’S ROOM
Words become a watershed, the express of desire, a fountain draining to the ground, forming streams of release. The engine of day caresses the eyes as they mirror the images of streets and voices crowding into fast lines. Hats hold close the thoughts, while hands point or find pockets for rest. … More STREET NOISE
Three bells sound within a mist. Sheng Street fills with butterfly light aromas; pillows shine of satin while incense speaks to spirits. A sea of black plaits sway in tides of black shirts. Black unto black, black blends into night. Frozen dragons snarl from smoky dens where voices of ancestors gather in corners. Painted faces … More SHENG STREET
Gusts of air. Turbulent waves, hot and steam filled, rush like running thieves up the subway stairs, circling her hair, teasing the ends of morning care. Her gum snaps like frenzied whips, keeping time with stories she shares. Turnstiles twist like fallen windmills releasing the aroma of rust and useless oils; a fine baptism of … More ANXIOUS EYES
Street lights sign in as dusk resigns to darkness. Scattered shadows of leaves dance on midnight sidewalks. Homes sleep in silence. Dark breezes lift curtain edges, creating life from worn cloth. Porch lights dot the galaxy of streets. Picket fences keep strangers away but ghosts pass through freely. A train whistle, distant yet sharp, bleeds … More MIDNIGHT
Roger Singer 