the whites of his eyes
were the sallow tint
of a rat’s teeth
as it hisses
angrily
rearing up
on a dumpster
in a piss stained alley.

if the poor bastard
had gotten any sleep
it wasn’t in
the last month or so
as he blearily squints
into the noonday sun
as if flabbergasted
he lost last night.

he reeks of stale wine
too many
cigarettes
not enough vitamin c
his teeth
loose in the sockets
his gums drip
poisoned blood.

the poor bastard
has a case of the
midtown scurvy
judging by
his sore covered leg
jutting out of
his torn pants
the peg leg is coming soon.

there is a part
of me
that is envious
of the alleyway pirate
he at least
still dreams
of where x
marks the spot.

the world lilts
beneath
his bare feet
as a horn sounds
from starboard bound
yet we share
a kindred view
as our ships run aground.