Streets of Fortitude
Streets of Fortitude
Through Fortitude Valley I stroll alone,
Along Brunswick Street at night,
Past a 24-hour pizza joint,
China Town’s off to the right.
An X-rated Cinema neon sign
Blinks crude movie names quite fast,
A homeless man asks, “Have you got a smoke?”
I say, “Sorry, I don’t!” as I pass.
The Mickey-D’s restaurant is crowded,
Big Mac addicts awaiting their fix.
An up-market Men’s Club ‘with Massage’,
Just a front for call girls turning tricks.
On a corner just up ahead
Police lights flash blue and red.
I daren’t wander very close,
In case some poor soul is dead.
I approach two schoolgirls looking lost,
Perhaps they missed their ride.
I hope they catch a taxi home,
There’s nowhere here to hide.
A drunk staggers out from the door of a bar,
Stumbles and falls to the ground.
He climbs to his knees and crawls back inside,
It’s just luck there’re no muggers around.
Sometimes I wonder why I’m here,
But the choice is not mine to make.
This week I work the graveyard shift,
It’s a job for goodness sake.
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Nicely capture the essence of FV at night. All that is so familiar is a comfort, the sights, sounds and smells of our familiar haunts. Great feel and well evoked John. Enjoyed.
Thank you, Tony. I used to work at Brunswick Street Railway Station when I was with Queensland Rail. Walking the Valley streets at night was always an interesting endeavour.
John, this was a walk on the wilder side for sure! Enjoyed it..
Yes, EHQ, it was a walk on the wild side 🙂 thanks for reading and so glad you enjoyed it.
A not so safe place to be, but so interesting. Well penned with good rhyme, John.
Thank you, Phyllis. Fortitude Valley, Brisbane (at night) has always had quite an unsavoury reputation, though perhaps not as bad as it once was. I used to work there and found it fascinating.
PS: John, you forgot to categorize your post. 🙂
Sounds like one of those journeys which could have nearly any type of ending…and one that changes nightly. Interesting how you’ve been able to take the “fear” out of the journey by breaking it down into its components – the falling drunk, lost girls, etc. – while on their own they appear harmless, but as a collective, they present a slightly terrifying collection. Very enjoyable (maybe you should add Travelogue to the classification)
I like your insight, Ralph. You are right about each incident being quite harmless in themselves but when combined it does form quite a scary picture. Thanks for the travelogue suggestion too.
Its very interesting how you mixed the characters to suit the night. Night shifts are always quite different from the day ones. All cities take on a different hue at night, some would like to think that’s when the coach-roaches come out to play. I remember very clearly those nights as well in Montreal, especially in the lower end where I lived, kinda like a Liverpool or Manchester, factories, dockworkers, bandits and hookers plying their trades. But the beauty of the city from on high over the city, with all it’s spectacular lighting, like Brisbane was and still is stunning. Thank you for a rendezvous from your side of the pond. Excellent work, loved the rhyme and placement of characters.
Glad you found this interesting, Vincent. Yes, it was written from memories of when I worked shift work in the area in the Railway Ticket Office. I think Brisbane has one of the most attractive city landscapes at night, but up close it has it’s darker corners like most others.