This House (on Oak Street)
small
2 rooms for 8 people
sleeping on sofa beds every night
sleeping on mattresses on the floor
sharing 1 bathroom
no kitchen
but the one outside
covered in a tent
hoping the rain would fall on it
and not on the stove
where we cooked
gallopinto and carne asada
toys were placed outside too
on a small door-less cabinet
Grandpa built
and the dog liked to pee
on the pink teddy bear
my sister loved
but no longer held
I never took naps
at Grandma’s house
mother always kept us busy
either with extra schoolwork
or chores
and every morning I saw
the lights turned on
to get the troop up
and ready for the day
and at night
the last thing I saw
was my sister’s hair
when I think of this house
I smell the dry wood
from the long table
outside
in which I practiced
the folklorico dance
for the school play
Expecting
school is out
buses parked
room is dark
curtains down
audience gone
performance grand
late night
spent alone
in someone else’s shoes
rain spatters on forehead
excuses a multitude
memories formed
Potty Mouth
It would be easy
to turn on the mute button
on all the bad language
among students in middle school
but it’s not
They have become automatic
weapons
against respect
and authority
but if sanctioned out of the room
They go without complaint
because they know
if they stay long enough
they’d change
and how would that look?
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