The Big Stink

by John Grey

the city 
smells like
meat going bad

yet
we’re downtown
because
this is where things happen –

with fingers
well away
from the nose
we still find
a way to hold it –

maybe
hanging with the crowd helps –

maybe
being who that stink
is coming from

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Soundings East, Dalhousie Review and Connecticut River Review. Latest book, Leaves On Pages is available through Amazon.