Grandpa
rowed me on the Prospect Park Lake
before barbecues were left to smolder
and Flatbush
Avenue begged for renaissance
as
graduates sweated speeches on broken velvet chairs
in
historically tarnished Lowe’s Kings Theater
Erasmus
Hall schoolhouse survived deterioration
Titus
Oaks record bins were depleted and restocked
Linden
Boulevard librarians climbed rolling ladders
being successfully middle-class was all that mattered
blackouts
turned into clear-outs
the
signs were in the strain
in
cloudy minds on sunny days
the time to move-on came
of sold-out yesterdays
and overstocked tomorrows
we readied to get packed
from
prosperity into a developing nation
till twin towers toppled into dust bowls
and dropped us through the cracks
April 29, 2017
