Rat-Races

People stare at pauperism 

and men who smell like acetate.

Look down on women 

who have bruises on their faces

and wonder who gave them it

I grew up in a tic-tac house

painting white front yard fences

mowing lawns in zigzag patterns 

planting roses, buying new dogs when old ones died

grew up in a family of showmanship

be better, do better than the blood relation sitting next to you

how much you wanna bet

my drug dependence 

came as a relief to them?