nighttime was bath time
on the poor side of town
in the courts of Elgin
back in ’87.
I could still hear the sounds
of the bath water running
into the tub as my mother
rinsed the shampoo out
of my coarse hair.
the door flung open
it was my dad
and with him
was a burst of energy
that bolted through the door
as quick as hot bacon grease
out of the frying pan.
we inherited a dog.
a newborn pit bull that
jumped into the bathtub
with me and licked the
bath water off of my
pruned fingers and
soft porous face.
simple happiness and joy
fulfilled my childlike soul
like a maniac running
wild in the streets.
but no matter anyone’s age,
when someone has their head
above water, there’s always
gonna be someone there to
pull your feet back down to
have you drown with them.
too many teeth
were chattering
around the court
of gossip and rumors
about the new addition
to our family
and they had a petition made up
to disband the pit bull from the
neighborhood for the safety of
their precious children.
however,
the gangs were
vandalizing houses
and terrorizing
our streets with violence
but that held no concerned
as they kept their focus
on the dog, dawdling
in fear of the unknown
instead of acting on and
implementing what was known.
the petition was signed and approved,
even though the dog
had never attacked
anyone before
and for a boy
who didn’t fully understand
the cruelty of the world just yet,
the senses and feelings intensified
and hit like a Chicago winter hard wind,
stinging against the reddened face
as my eyes welled up with tears after
they discarded my new found love
from behind my sleeping back.
everything went to ****
after that, my parents split
the children were no longer
allowed to play with me
the gangs continued
the crime increased
and the neighbors
silly busywork had
made no difference
because they trundled
away the court
shortly afterwards,
taking their terrible lives and
making life terrible for others
under different skies
with different people.
Lucy,
you were taken away,
destroyed and disposed of
before you even had a chance
to mend this little boy’s
broken heart
on the poor side of town
in the courts of Elgin
back in ’87.
