North Gate

It's an old road, under my feet,
a sweet taste of revered history.


I've sat on most of these porches,
drinking sweet iced tea,
having my good share of hot summers.

That turn around down there,
muddied my best white t-shirt
dirtied those old bike wheels.

Almost ran over some little girl,
trying to make it look like an accident,
until my granma hollered from our front door.

Made my first friends here,
the ones who made most of my childhood a regret.

Those mornings still live here,
the ones I spent by myself.
Doings things that in the long run
only got me in trouble.

Those days though, never lived here
always kept those in my head.
The biggest mistakes my brother ever made,
that he still won't admit to me.

Sparklers and firecrackers
went off on that walk.

That knife got thrown there,
just a little before the curb.
Cops arrested her up there,
but he told them to let her go.

I played in the rain here,
it rolls like rivers on the dipped sides.

The sunsets are amazing,
you can see them going down where you know the river is,
we're not even a mile from it.

We wrote all kinds of things on the old K-line
out behind the field.
I guess it was always just a little too far.

It's and old street, here, under my shoes.
It's a bitter taste, of our history.

Reviews

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

A walk down memory lane is always nice... I can feel the sentimental attachment to these precious memories in the way you describe them.

[Wolfwind]

This was a fantastic piece. The imagery and slow moving current of the emotions within it's words carried us along for the journey, a glimpse into another time and place, with both happy and sad memories. Very well done! =)

Hugs!
Aaron

[EvilIsRelative]

You have managed to capture the way that it feels to walk into a place you've known all your life, and be hit with memories of all the things that you did there. Simply beautiful.

[...]

. beautiful poetry ... definitely one of your best ... no doubt about it ... you convey the sheer range of different memories very artistically ... the opening lines and the closing lines ... along with the subtle changes are stunning ... reading this poem is liking opening an album with photographs in it ... looking at each one ... flipping the page ... and then reaching the end and wondering about the road beneath one's own feet ... you've triggered many memories that i have ... thank you for this deep, vivid, and captivating piece of writing :) ...