3/18/09


I was watching 'Leave It To Beaver' earlier
When my dad called
He had locked his keys in his truck
And needed me to bring him a spare
He was a street over
Working in our row-home
Getting it ready for the new renters
I found his keys
And was tempted to grab mine as well
I'm so used to driving everywhere
But I looked out the window
The sun convinced me and I figured I'd walk
It's just around the corner right?
How lazy would that be if I drove?
I haven't taken a walk in my neighborhood for at least two years
That's sad isn't it?
It was nice
It wasn't a long walk
But it was invigorating
in·vig·o·rate
Pronunciation: \in-ˈvi-gə-ˌrāt\
: to give LIFE and ENERGY to
As I walked out the front gate
And walked along the sidewalk
Slowly turning my head to look for cars
It struck me and half amazed me that such a small thing
As how I cross the street
Can make me all sad and nostalgic
By the way Billa,
I almost walked out into a car
But I thought about our conversation
And I'll attribute that to me not getting run over today,
So thanks
As I walked through the alley
I passed row-homes that I've spent
Almost as much time in as my own home
Now I hardly see the people that live in them
Let alone spend time with them like I used to
When I reached the row-home
I sat on the ledge of the yard on the other side of the alley
The yard that used to belong to my uncle, aunt and three cousins
What happened!?
I still feel like it's our yard
I dropped the keys off and, truthfully,
My dad asked me to but
I didn't really want to stick around
I wasn't really in the mood to reminisce
Walking back home I saw Mr. Amig
He's one of those old sailor dudes
With anchor and stripper tattoos covering his arms
He's a family friend that goes back to when
My dad was growing up in this neighborhood
I regret not saying hi
He looked busy
That was my excuse
I know he would've liked to see me though
I turned back onto my street
Deliberately walking in the middle of the road
Convinced that I'd do this more often
Because minus the old memories it was fun
I hope I do take another walk soon
Even if it is just around the corner
The weather's been nice enough to

2 comments:

aurbie said...

It made me sad when you said you had wished you had said hello to the old sailor dude.

I, too, have had those small moments that I let slip away.

Thanks for a thoughtful poem. Take your camera next time. That would be nice.

Bill said...

Dilla,
I feel the same way when I walk around my old neighborhood. I remember sitting out on summer evenings, playing games with child hood friends, and listening to stories from older neighbors. Some times I feel like my neighborhood is just haunted by souls who thought that time stood still. Either way it was a cool blog. I'm stoked that I got a shout out and that you didn't get run over!

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