"French Ghetto Eyes"

They are all watching.

Wherever I go,

Whatever I do,

They gaze at my hair, my hands, my face.

There is no saving grace.

The birds, they report from afar,

Always following when I drive a car.

The fish watch as I swim,

Like the portraits hanging in a gym.

I have moved to hell.

I am watched by dogs,

When I buy a newspaper,

I am watched by cats,

When I watch the stars.

There can be only one torment.

Children watch when I walk,

Women watch when I talk,

Merchants watch when I shop,

Librarians watch when I read,

I want to scream in braille.

I can remember from the days gone by,

Everyone that watched as I passed

With their curious blank eyes,

Their smiles strangely similar to

Gestapo guards in Dachau...

Five, four, three, two, one---

Breathe