My mother waitresses down at the diner,
the one between Pearl and Main.
My older sister got herself pregnant,
and lives with her boyfriend, the next town over.
I haven’t seen my father in years,
and sometimes agree with that poem that says,
“….life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”
Listen, I ain’t complainin’ all that much.
I go to school, and help my mother out,
busing tables at breakfast at the diner
before I have to make my first period – gym.
My favorite activity there is the rock wall.
I am the fastest one up the side in my class.
The metaphor is too simple – I have to keep climbin’,
no matter what obstacles are in my way.
I wish my life were as easy as “The Rock,”
that there would be some guarantee
I could make it over the top of the wall
and get outta this town for good.
Hah, please forgive me if I have to say,
I live between a rock and a hard place.
THE POETRY OF THE GAME