Ma. Orosa Street

My shoulders hunched, I take
the quiet, solitary walk
to where I live

As I greet the dirty streets
with a lonely sigh,
the pavement looks back
with indifference

The stars no longer twinkle
as they used to do
in the days of my childhood
have they all fallen?

I go past cluttered corners and see
dirty people in ragged clothes
dreaming in silence

Bogged down, I grasp the meaning of rest.