I held his head in my arms
As his life slipped through my fingers
Drop by drop by bloody drop.
This boy...
My brother...
Alive mere seconds ago.
Now dying...
Crying his last breath
As I hold his limp body.

The screech of tires...
Tattooed bullies
Lost in their own ignorance
Proving their manhood
By using guns and knives.
Protecting their 'turf'
Like dogs marking their territory.

Tears
Mixing with spilled blood.
Staining all who live here.
This boy...
My brother....
Lost to the stupidity of the streets.
An innocent life....
Another statistic....
Just another nameless victim
Here in Compton.


James M. Guzman