Poetry Contest Winner: 2nd Place
“L.A. State of Mind” By Ashley M. Esprio
Welcome to the land of disingenuous deceit
Where promises are made while promising defeat
Where dreamers of tomorrow arrive with hearts of hope
Then quickly trade their hearts in for ½ an oz. of dope
A city full of “angels” filled with eternal “fear and loathing”
Where wolves cross dress, camouflaged by sheep’s clothing.
Hollywood: the La-La Land chock full of fabled truths
Where the “American Dream” is born
And Sell Outs mass produced.
Where a penny for your thoughts is an unnecessary expense
For your kiss? A thousand dollars. For your soul? Fifty cents.
A city where artificial beauty runs in high demand
where silicone and normalcy go together hand in hand.
Where combat is commercialized like fifteen minute fame
And soldiers run by corrupt politicians, pawns in a chess game.
Skewed perception and deception are the orders of the day
Convoluted youth is bred then shown misguided ways.
Products of a pompous society that’s sadly gone astray
All for an “L.A. state of mind”… what a misconstrued cliché.
