THE NEIGHBORHOODA Poem by Mia SparrowdiscoveredThey call my neighborhood Silver Lake. Nature comprised of my neighbor’s pear tree And wild life consisted of my black lab, Shadow, Or Dog-at-Large, according to the cops. Hopscotch was chalked on the sidewalk in pink and blue. Morning glories graced our fences And cicadas forecasted a hot day.
No one told us stories. No one imparted wisdom. No one watched us.
We sat on the stoop and watched people walk by Or drive by in their long cars and loud music. They became familiar faces.
The
wa-wa man scared us to death. That was all that he could say. And
he said it loud; wa wa wa wa wa We were like cockroaches When
you turned the lights on Whenever he came around.
There was that head-shaven man with huge ears Wearing army fatigues, drinking coffee On the church steps with his Transistor radio blasting news As he read the papers At ten a.m. every morning. He did not speak.
There were the poker games in the Laundromat After hours where my dad would play. He didn’t talk about those. They asked him to join their club But my father said no because He knew he could never get out.
There was this ringer for Elvis Presley Who drove around In a 1962 white cadillac Blaring Elvis on his radio We know every one of his songs now.
The church bell tolled nine times It was time to go inside But me and Shadow stayed on the stoop Until my father came out and chased us inside Where I watched The Graduate with my mother. © 2014 Mia SparrowReviews
|
Stats
326 Views
4 Reviews Shelved in 1 Library
Added on March 13, 2014Last Updated on March 13, 2014 Author
Related WritingPeople who liked this story also liked..
|