poem of the day 11.12.09

to the young kids on the street

i get stuck at the same red light every day
because i am a fool
and the kids are on the street
a young girl, she is my super’s daughter
she comes over and feeds that cats
when we are away
and she is talking to a boy her age
which is thirteen or fourteen
and she doesn’t notice me stuck
at this forever light.
they are close and talking, touching
the two of them making plans.
she has a smile on her face, the kind
of smile that enamored women get.
damn, they start them young, i think,
waiting on this red light.
but i shouldn’t be surprised.
girls looked like that when i was young
it’s just that they never looked that way
toward me.
well, i finally get the green and cross.
they are still standing there
two young kids on the street
this is the way it starts
trying to find love or something else.
and when she sees me, the super’s daughter
gets cold toward her boyfriend
as if i’m going to tell her dad about her
innocent little tryst.
tell him?
i can’t even get the guy to fix
my window or my toilet
what am i going to tell him? i think.
but i feel bad because she leaves the boy
just standing there
his face red and flustered.
he calls to her and she give him quick answers
walking quickly toward her building.
she won’t look back at him.
i want to tell him not to worry about it.
he has a lifetime not to understand women
her, and all of the other ones
that will tangle up his heart.
but being the cause of this breech of romance
i think it’s best to keep my mouth shut.
so i stop on the sidewalk
and look in my bag for nothing
giving them time
until the boys leaves
and the girls is close enough to our building
so that she and i won’t have to speak
and i’ll keep being the guy in 1r
and she’ll keep being the little girl
who cleans out the cat shit for us
and the world between us
can keep all of its blessed, goddamned secrets
another golden day.