I have recently moved to the City of Roses

Which elates me as I'm one who composes

Little flourishes of words to delight the eye

So read of my experience as I go on to try

To capture the essence of life on the street

You may think it hard, but I'm hard to defeat

Especially when there's food in abundance

And the culture is rich in diverse substance

I was moved to find others just like lil ol' me

As freaks and weirdos are a delight to see

Things got strange tho as I'm schizoaffective

A shooting a block away made me defective

Fear did not win though, as I had made friends

Here there are so many people who depend

On each other and the exchange of kindness

As a result, I was able to manage the stress

That is born from starting fresh in a new city

So, if you see me, please refrain from pity

Because I am a phoenix and while I burn

Into something beautiful I will eventually turn