Of All the Places….
of all the
places,
i remember it
best.
our house
on the corner –
suburban Miami
circa 1970s:
3 bedrooms.
long hallway.
“florida” room.
tall
heater
on
the
living room
wall.
a front porch
for making
mud pies.
sunday dinners
on
the
homemade table.
jumping fish.
spilled spaghetti….
slid
right
off
the
plate!
boy, was mom
mad!
nail polish
in
the
carpet.
a bunny
(and his poo!)
in.the.house.
a dog
playing
in
our
yard.
pulling weeds
every
weekend.
cleaning
the
bathroom.
my bedroom
with
corner windows.
always
rearranging
my
books.
lots of books.
writing.
lisa t
lived across
the street
and one house
over.
cute mark,
her older brother.
his lisp
made him cuter!
terriann and
her little sister
lived
across and behind.
not so cute.
indeed.
riding
our
bikes.
teaching
gran
to ride.
a dark,
rainy
night
that
brought
thieves.
lawnmower
stolen
right out
of
the
neighbor’s
shed!
a normal life
then….
a real neighborhood:
neighbors.
playing
outside
‘til dark.
friends.
a safe backyard
complete with
playhouse —
adorned with
windows and
flowers.
a mom.
a dad.
a little sister.
{before there were two}
pets.
chores.
laughing.
fighting.
celebrations.
arguments.
getting
in
trouble.
on
restriction. . . .
a
wooden
paddle!
summer
camp.
.
.
.
of all the
places,
i remember it. . . . .
best.
~ Robin Le Roy-Kyle
January 15, 2017