In the old west
abandoned towns
quickly decayed,
buildings rotted
from harsh winds,
abrasive elements,
until the only pedestrians
were tumbleweeds,
fleeting monuments
to human habitation.
A village, town, or city
continues only
if people endure,
have food, shelter, clothing,
other necessities
to sustain life.
When the economy collapses,
diminishing opportunity
leads to departure.
Conditions deteriorate.
Subsistence is difficult.
The young flee; others,
those who are mobile
seek better surroundings.
Those who remain die off
and the human enclosure
hacked out of wilderness
crumbles and is forgotten.
As I travel through my city
of cracked sidewalks of despair,
empty stores gape at my passing,
no longer supporting people
for work, play, a home.
I see so much decay
I fear there may be
a turning point,
when the great metropolis
will begin to fade away.
