my places have changed
because I have changed places
with people who chased me
away from myself
as I stared into windows
at corner stores
aware that I was just there
to buy drugs
like introspection
from the hidden cameras
I was the person
I now drive past
with my car door locked
in the bad part of town
I’ve lost the frayed nerve
that invited me in
the thankless jobs
that made me feel welcome
in the smelly
ill-lit hallways
I know my places
too well to rescue
anybody still trapped in them
I have deserted
the trash-swept avenues
that showed me
who I really am