Laughing cowboy hats and
fur coats came out of
the night-club, perfume,
crisp notes and Havana cigars
mingled with damp city air.

The alley partly lit by the club’s
kitchen windows, reeked of
old man’s piss, garbage, rats
and the random violence of
the damned.

At first light a trap found
a dollar bill slipped off
a limp grasp and for a brief
moment he felt the surge
of happiness.