Walking Around Free

I woke this morning, free at last
From the almighty shackles of work
That have kept me chained these
Last few days, and the sun shone
Right in through my window and
I could hear it calling me out
But for once not like some lairy
Teenager keen for a fight!

So onwards I strode through my
Morning routine of drinking
Some tea, smoking some green
and getting ready for them out
There. I headed out, supplies
Loaded in my pocket in the case
Of just in case, and made it to
The seafront not seeing anyone
Around, grateful that today I
Can remain peaceful and alone.

And so I walk, as I so often do,
Around this town where I buy
Some charity shop finds, all
The usual, books and films,
And life is going fine when
Suddenly I realise I’m an hour
Out of home and here I am
Slap bang in the middle of
Town.

A face pulls shapes as it
Looks on over at me and I can
Almost hear the wheels turning
As he whispers “scuse me mister…”
But somehow he realises, from
The depths of his drug-ravaged
Mind, my face and he knows,
He just knows. I ain’t ever got
Anything spare, not for me and
Sadly not for you but as I walk
On I hear a voice boom out
Almost right behind me.
“What do you want?” it asks
As if letting the entire street
Know it needs to look over here
Right now if you want to feel
Good about your shitty little life.
“No!” it booms again, “Why
Don’t you go and get a job!”
He lambastes the poor down-trodden
Desperate junky who walks on dragging
His ever-present sleeping bag
along behind him whilst I just
Walk on past bars I’ve wasted
Years in and shops that sell nothing
I could ever desire and finally
Pass strangers who now, after
Decades of failed attempts, can
Stay that way as I lock myself away
In this bristol road cocoon.