Gary Heffern

Caught between the longing for love


And the struggle for the legal tender


Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring


And the junk man pounds his fender


Where the veterans dream of the fight


Fast asleep at the traffic light


And the children solemnly wait


For the ice cream vendor


Out into the cool of the evening


Strolls the ...Pretender


He knows that all his hopes and dreams


Begin and end there