It was
The fuming carcass
Rusted with passing time

Where scores weaved
Thoughtlessly
Beneath its crumbling stature

Cowering
Drew death ever-closer
Within the clutches
Of concrete misfortune

It neared without a sound
Unsparing
Sly and callous

Like a maiden
On the prowl
Seductively
Swaying with malice

Block by block
It all tolled the same
With selfish reveries
Billowing, heaven-bound

Preserve yourself
Was the endless scream
Heard from each shade
Of wayward sons

Regard your own
Was the bell’s daily toll
A cause, hoisted high
A beacon for every
Child of squalor