Richie

there’s
a tent
behind every
rose bush

a body & blanket
on every sidewalk

richie flicks
his cigarette
& says

see
the thorns’ll
cut em fuckers up
if they try to slit me
in the night
the flowers
r just pretty enough
for the cops
to let me sleep
behind them

Austin Davis is a poet and student activist currently studying creative writing at ASU and leading Arizona Jews For Justice’s unsheltered outreach program, AZ Hugs For the Houseless. Austin is the author of The World Isn’t the Size of Our Neighborhood Anymore (Weasel Press, 2020) and Celestial Night Light (Ghost City Press, 2020). You can find Austin on Twitter @Austin_Davis17, on Instagram @austinwdavis1 and at his website at https://msha.ke/austindavis.