aunt bea
sat on the front porch
staring out into the night
watching as youths
made their way
into the city
there were tears
welling up
in her eyes
i asked
if she was alright
she said
for so many years
i worked just
to survive
raise my children
with honor
and
pride
i cleaned houses
washed
and
ironed laundry
i could never afford
for myself
and
prayed
that someday
these streets
would be safe
for
anyone to walk down
no gangs
no police
no
neighborhood watch robbery barons
just
someplace safe
i’m still
praying
but
i
survived
Read Between the Minds 
Excellent thoughts.
some things don’t change! its uncanny and its true!
Ongoing.
Amen, Aunt Bea, we all need to keep praying
Waiting for Godot who never comes—damn, poor aunt Bea and the rest of us. Maybe we should stop waiting? What then?
wisdom.
Its those survivors like aunt Bea that we need to be grateful for
Sad. I feel Aunt Bea’s tears.
think we all want to make the world a safe place for our children and we try our best to add our small part to it.. it’s tough to see things fall apart..
Yes, folks, but what about the poem?
Keep the faith Bea… we need you out there batting for us all.
‘neighborhood watch robbery barons’ – hahahaha 🙂 Sometimes to survive is enough – many don’t even do that!
That Aunt Bea is a strong woman, thankfully she’s still praying.
Amen!
hard to hold out hope sometimes in the face of inertia.