Somewhere
——-
Life is an open book
in the middle of the road;
the intersection of Loudon
Ave. and North Limestone.
Two young men stand
on the concrete corner.
Hands on their knees
like they are in school
& the ball is out of bounds.
Pages turned by passing
cars or a swirling wind.
Everyone runs a yellow
there is no way to stop them.
Heads tilted, the young men
examine the nature of the book
from the safety of the sidewalk.
Try to decide if it’s worth it,
worth it to dart out into traffic.
Worth it to save a tattered life.
A changing crosswalk sign blinks.
—-
The car behind me taps once
on the horn.
In this world that’s just trash
on the road.
My story is left vulnerable
on the asphalt
whole, still open.
Pages turning in the breeze.
21 thoughts on "Somewhere"
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is the city changing you?
every block here- with
its four even sides… 🙂
or *for levity*
country blockhead
turned
cube-y city rube.
It’s a quick city trick, slick as square thicker than sticks or bricks but easier to play than jacks.
and always better to change/be cool
thangetting stuckin place
always being just ‘a square’
Of course it is.
That the chameleonesque nature of our survival.
We’re like cuckoo birds.
Egged into other birds nests.
Raised as their young.
Alive ;
mockingbirds too-
as multitaskers..
all that extra ‘free’ time
jaywalkers
good one
Staywalkers
I like the Lexington-specific nature of the first line. I love the line break after “everyone runs as a yellow.” I like the contrast between “concrete corner” and the turning page. A very cool poem.
Love this!
I often went to Broomwagon
when they had a restaurant.
Its a historic intersection,
your vignette shows how poetry
can take a seemingly insignificant
moment and make it mean
something big
I think their cafe is still open.
I loved finding out at the end that there really was a book and the first line was not only a metaphor.
What strikes me here is that you and the two young men recognize that the book has value, that it should be saved, although not at the risk of being hit by traffic. An intersection indeed.
That “Try to decide if it’s worth it” is such a great moment in this. Love the contemplative nature of it, the specific and gentle observer.
mmm…. my story left vulnerable on the asphalt, vulnerable, still open, pages turning
I like the change in perspective and language of the varying sections of the poem. The fulcrum of care in an inhospitable place: “In this world that’s just trash/on the road.”
Wow. This is all so immediate, full of tension. I especially love the way you describe the posture of the two men. Perfect.
“Worth it to save a tattered life.” – wow
Love the physicality of this:
Two young men stand
on the concrete corner.
Hands on their knees
like they are in school
& the ball is out of bounds.
the angst of this:
worth it to dart out into traffic.
Worth it to save a tattered life.
And, way to land this incredible poem:
My story is left vulnerable
on the asphalt
whole, still open.
Pages turning in the breeze.