Her Ghetto Brick Shoes~

Her name was Ruby

but they all called her LittleRedHoodie

cuz she loved the color red

on her lips

pouting

on her hips

shouting

she flipped out of Donna Karan tailored suits

into blood corduroys

and man beaters

shouting

strutting

slamming her ghetto brick shoes into the glove compartment

of the ElDorado

 

Momma was somewhere in the Caribbean

knocking back martinis

all glossy in coconut tanning lotion

her married man nearby

cheatin'

weepin’ at momma's really blue eyes

and perfect cheekbones

while LittleRedHoodie fiddled with the radio knob

somewhere inside a tunnel that would take her out of Manhattan

tapping her high top sneakers with the black laces

her red hood pulled low

over her eyes

screaming chemical warfare

with the Dead Kennedys

 

The woman in the driver's seat

put up with it all with grace

and patience

though LittleRed really tried to push her

over that edge

where adults

either screamed themselves into apoplexy

or gave you a solid punch in the face

or the gut

and sent you to your room

or kicked you out

 

Not this woman with the chestnut pony tail

and gold eyes

who was being paid pretty damn well

to put up with LittleRed

for two weeks

while momma turned the color of caramel

somewhere in the world

with a man

that didn't really belong to her

 

Driving

miles and miles

hours and hours

out of city hums

and mad hustling feet pounding pavement

into towns

through valleys

and up mountains;

"So where we goin' babysitter?" LitteRed sneered

her magenta mouth

under a blue

blue skye

and slipped a Newport from her cloak

and flipped her bic

making fire

making madness

making hollow circles of smoke

 

The woman with the heart face only smiled

and said

"Where pigs are pigs and goats are goats And the farm is a sanctuary."

and LittleRed frowned

and puffed her cigarette

and pounded her feet against the glove compartment

to the beat of Black flag

damaged

 "What the hell is a farm sanctuary.  Gad damn, lady.  Didn't momma tell you I was one of them freaky  vegetarians?"

LittleRed fumed until her green eyes turned yellow

and her red

red hair was like a fire

as she shook her head

something fierce

but the woman smiled

and said

"Yes, she did."

                       ~*~

Her ghetto brick shoes got muddy

her ghetto brick ways got sunny

over the span of a dozen days;

she slopped the pigs

she chased the goats

and bottle fed the baby lambs

she played wheel barrow with Hop the rabbit

who was more like a human

and had a sucky attitude

just like her

she related

 

Her Ghetto Brick shoes got left

by her unassuming cot

with the rough blanket

her red hair decorated with straw

her scent of Chanel

replaced by smells of hay and animal musk

LittleRed hopped a fence and ran with a pair of wild mustangs

through the forest until her feet were raw

and bloody

and her lungs were on fire

and her soul was kind of clean

all of a sudden

 

                                     ~*~

Outside a big brownstone

in the East Village

a girl with red hair

sat in an ElDorado

with a woman

who was maybe actually a goddess

while her momma

with caramel skin

and yellow hair

ambled lazily down steps

"Look at you, all disheveled, and what on god's green earth is THAT smell?"

her momma wrinkled her perfect nose

and Ruby grinned

and hopped out of the car

and said

"That is the smell of a vegan."

and laughed

and bounded into the brownstone on bare feet

all scratched

scabby elbows pumping

wild hair dancing

 

The woman in the ElDorado

looked at the pair of muddy

torn

ghetto brick shoes

on the floor

of the passenger seat;

she smiled

and drove back to the rupa lokas

on a cloud

drawn by the Four Noble Truths

 

 

 

copyright:2010vssmd/pa.inc

All Rights RESERVED

 

 

 

 

 

excerpt from. . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Barb]

This is just amazing!!!
I can feel the magic that is woven thru each word, of a story that is written from your soul. It flows to a place in my heart, from a girl, to woman, back to the girl in us all...a different time, a different place, but the strength that is found in each of us, came from a moment, a time, even that one special person that helped us find our way..and you can show that amazing feeling in words, your story, my story, all of our stories you seem to weave seemlessly all into one!

[DalainaRenee]

Its like a peom and short story all rolled into one making this a great read! I enoyed this, you can tell alot about the character too! Thanks for sharing!

[Alicia Schroeder]

This was a awesome story/poem, the rythm of it was great, i loved it

[raining]

I cannot add more to what others have said. Only that yes i found it to be very entertaining, it is a story common to the American experience about materialism and soul and the redemption of the core self through simple revelation.

[Hello, Goodbye]

seriously soo freakin' good.. sorry for that.. i love it..

[David W Moore III]

Having grown up in New Orleans, then moved to the 'country' (20 acres with a horse, a cow, and a 1/2 acre vinyard) in 4th grade through High school, I can definitely relate to this one. I was not little red hoodie, by any stretch, but was resistant to the whole 'your nearest neighbor lives 1/2 a mile a way' part. There is something to be said about leaving behind the hustle and noise and stress of the modern world (as long as you can still get Dexter on the tv!) and sleeping somewhere where the crickets chirp all night, that brings out a bit of the divine. Thank you for the reminder!

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

really~ Drowning Fish? because the editors at the publishing house thought it was just peachy as it is before it went into publication~ thank you though for your opinion and your unsolicited view (which needs editing because I haven't a clue what you're referring to) about my profile quote~ have a nice day =)~

[Brittany]

This really needs editing. I'll leave it at that.

Also, on your profile, if you're going to quote Kerouac, you shouldn't omit and add on as you please, kind of defeats the purpose of a quote :)

[Coyote Poetry]

To live the life on the farm. A city girl would learn a change of pace. I like this story. You made her come alive. I like her city attitude and I like her change in the country. Chasing the wild mustangs. A outstanding story. It was very entertaining and the story told a great tale.
Coyote

[Jordan]

This is really good, I love the transition and the life lesson she received from simply a change of environment. I wonder if the mother could get the same lesson, hanging out with married men and all. This was really creative work.

I couldn't help but notice the comments about punctuations and stuff. Tsk tsk that people can't recognize creativity over the little box they are trapped in.

[An owl on the moon]

Your title caught my attention immediately. What a powerful, gripping story filled with the darkest colors and deepest emotional connections. Brilliantly flowing work.