Toledo

Long ago, when we were young, I'd walk you home.
Remember that? And we would stop beside the bay
To smoke and share our little dreams. We wouldn't
Be here very long. We'd leave for college, later, jobs
In warmer cities, far away, and, with the money that
We made, we'd live in houses which were new, with
Wives and husbands, dogs and kids, and our lives
Would advance to truly splendid from, at best, okay.
I made it through a year of college, then I took
A foundry job. I never left, remaining here. I
Married Amy, had the kids, and bought a boat,
And settled in until my back went out a couple
Years before the foundry closed, and you, so smart,
Were stuck at home. Your father wouldn't pay
For college, so you went to beauty school,
And there you were, and here you are; how
Many decades cutting hair? Our kids have
Grown, and some have gone, as we have
Watched our dreams decay. The foundry's
Waste has fouled the bay. The beach is
Fenced. We're drinking here, inside a bar
In which our parents also drank, a couple
Blocks away from where we used to live,
And where we've also made our homes.
It's closing now, and, if you want, I'll drive
You; no, I'd rather walk you, home.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 16 times
Written on 2013-04-25 at 01:06

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