Cornered
© Sara L. Russell, 8/7/05, 00:54 UK time

Follow grey pigeons flying by the walls
That run along the concrete balcony,
Swoop down to where old loosened cable falls
Amid long lines of washing blowing free,

Race past painted front doors, graffiti-scrawled,
Windows where tired old faces watch the rain,
Past rooftop pipes where only rats have crawled,
Past running water laughing like a drain,

Through hinterlands and down the alleyway,
Beyond the fire escape and past the gate,
Beside the arch, she almost got away,
Beyond the clutches of council estate -

But here they cornered her; now here she lies,
Watching the sky with petrified, dead eyes.