There had been a time when I was once lucid
upon entering the labyrinth I became disoriented and inebriated
scurrying like a blind rodent, meeting countless dead ends
squirreling away nuggets of gnosis for rainy days
toward the end I found myself holed up in a motel
door jams busted from previous raids
the hallways full of fiends who clawed at painted women
dotted arms they sold their love cheap
there was a stench of piss and stale whiskey
encompassed in an atmosphere of violence
choking on narcotic fog
that was when I realized that I was home
this was a south shore haven
certainly its far from perfection
dirty and violent but at least its honest
the only womb I´ve ever known
John Putignano 