One life to live

There is a little tan and brown house          

in the city on a narrow one-way street street

with grass and dirt and weeds all around

and narrow vertical blinds faintly glowing.

There is evidence of life inside: 

myriad toys fling themselves from the closet,

squeals and shouts flee from airing windows,

crowd noises erupt from a flick’ring TV        

Boom, and boom, and boom, from the boom box

the grill burns on, children scatter in and out

little dogs barking on Sunday afternoon --

you can’t beat that, no, you can’t beat that.

These are the means two use to survive

two jobs, six days a week, fifty weeks a year

with four kids and ’ absentee landlord --

living life in a little tan and brown house      

in the city on a narrow one-way street,

accepting and loving and good;

six lives share one goal and one soul
blesses with so few opportunities.