This town isn’t shit in comparison
Held up against memories and friends
Some cities are prisons
And those people chained to them
I walked all day
Without one word
I walked all day
Without a moment of warmth
I cringed when the wind whipped my face
I laced my brain with curses
I swore off the city where my head laid
I made a wish for every soul on earth’s surface
I walked all day
Without a minute without a wish
I walked all day
Without a bit of enjoyment
I found my way back to Franklin
I ate some Chinese food in silence
I thought about friends in Sangin
I wondered if they worried like I did
I walked all day
Without a second I could relish
I walked all day
Without a mental note I didn’t embellish
This town isn’t shit in comparison
Held up to the light to see the holes and cracks
But a visitor can’t smell the city’s arrogance
They’ll never know the ways that “home” can hold men back
Keith Walter Dow is a former Army MP and bouncer and the author of Karmic Purgatory from which this selection was taken. He is the co-founder of Dead Reckoning Collective. You can follow him on IG here.
The Importance of Being Earnest is upon us! Get ready for cucumber sandwiches, mistaken identities, and 9 characters played by just 3 world-class actors!
Join us for tea every Saturday in June, or your name isn’t Earnest…