| The neon bruise on her cheek flickers on/off/on in the rain* |
| On her thigh there is a tattooed smear. |
| She finds a vein in her ankle. |
| Pull back. |
| Under a tangle of freeway passes, a squat, squalid city. |
| Derelict buildings huddled together for warmth, windows burn with cool blue TV |
| fire. |
| They all sell something down here. |
| Sex, drugs, religion. |
| They’ll buy escape at any price. |
| She squats in a peeling doorway, something childlike and explicit in the splay |
| of her legs. |
| From her tiny purse she takes a cigarette and rolls it between her fingers. |
| Buildings grow like weeds between drifts of broken stereos and refrigerator |
| boxes. |
| He steps towards her and offers a light. |
| The gesture is familiar and as she stands, a coy smile twists her face, |
| the cigarette casually held to hide her broken tooth. |
| As they talk she smooths the pleated vinyl of her skirt. |
| He draws her back into the doorway, out of the rain. |
| The only moon over the city tonight is the crescent of bleached teeth on a |
| billboard advertising salvation, at a high price. |
| He steps towards her but doesn’t offer a light. |
| When he spits at her feet she recoils, as if it has landed on her cheek. |
| As he waves his fist she notices the stains on his teeth. |
| She thinks they must have been retouched for the billboard. |
| His teeth are the colour of derelict, rotten buildings. |
| She says «At least I admit what I am». |
| He spits again and walks away. |