Driving Through Old Neighborhood
Stomach flip flops
as I pass real places
where real things happened. Not
moseying along
curious about what’s meant by
“Middle Asian Restaurant”. But
Queen of Angels Parish Hall
where my Destiny was changed
forever.
One man claimed me;
The other let me go.
I never realized
I wasn’t at the wheel.
I could turn here and pass
the basement apartment
where willingly
I gave up my
virginity.
And here the school
where my
father-by-marriage taught.
“Only you prepared me
for the Marines,” a student said.
The previous streets were interesting
but now we’re on Death Row,
place of serious roads taken and those mysteriously
not.
I’m passing through the sea of
Egypt.
Must not give attention to
the high waters,
must keep going to
safe ground,
to places not marked by me
like a dog leaves its scent.
Must find footing on fresh ground,
back into now,
freedom,
control.
Control?
Laura Lewis-Barr has left a new comment on your post "A few things I've learned in my life":
I like this. I love the rhythms and the message.
Thanks, Laura!
A fascinating and much-welcomed poem, Dear Marti! It gives reality to several formative phases in your rich life. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Speaking of sharing: you might consider putting a link in your profile to the Plummer Lecture that you gave at Illinois Yearly Meeting in 1997, which I was privileged to get into ink-on-paper format. Come to think of it, we worked on several kinds of publications together… but those are really your stories to tell!
Thanks, David. I'll get my Plummer Lecture into my bio; I forgot about it. Yes, you and I have done much work together on many projects, contributing what we could to spread light and love