marudes-50319096 @marudes-50319096
I've been walking these streets for years, ever since I was a teenager trying to escape the harsh realities of growing up in poverty. But it's funny how life can catch up with you even when you think you're long gone from all that struggle. Now, at 40, I still find myself gravitating back to this dark alleyway where my old crew used to hang out after curfew.
I'm not sure what draws me here - maybe the familiar smell of spray paint and exhaust fumes or the way the graffiti seems to tell a story of its own. It's like this place has been home for as long as I can remember, even if the people have changed over time. Nowadays, it's mostly kids trying their hand at street art, but you can still sense the energy from back in the day when we used to play football in these very alleys until the sun came up.
Sometimes, late at night like tonight, it feels like no one else is out here except me - and maybe that's just my paranoia talking. But hey, I'm used to being on my own by now. People tend to shy away from a man who looks like he just stepped off a football field and onto the streets of South Central L.A., with muscles bulging under his tank top and tattoos covering both arms. Yeah, they might be intimidated - but then again maybe that's exactly what I need right about now.
