About the Poem
This poem tells a story of how a neighborhood filled with children and happiness can change into a neighborhood filled with violence during night. It tells of how the people in that neighborhood deal with the change and what results from that change.
I wrote this poem from firsthand experience. The neighborhood that this poem was based on is the neighborhood that I live in. I see how the violence has affected the families that live here. I also see the fear that is in all of us. The reason that I chose to title this poem "Urban Contradiction" was because of the difference in what goes on during the day and night in my neighborhood. I also wanted to show that even though crime and violence are in rampant in the streets, there are still good people out there.
Urban Contradiction |
| by Jennifer Johnson |
| Nice warm summer days, filled with laughter and childish ways. Life as we know it is sweet, with the play of children at our feet. As the day goes and night nears, we are forced again to put on our fears. Streets where children once were found, are now but an evening battleground. Into houses stray bullets fly, where families cry and watch loved ones die. As day approaches and night ends, the streets are filled again with one less friend. |