Battered Homes and Garbage

Riding the bus to school past an ugly reminder the tattered trailers next to a construction site I imagine the way it used to be a house across from a dozen shattered trailers with little heat no water usually but electricity visiting mom was a treat Dad would not refuse to drop me off at her trailer with my pet rat rad dee louise, ratty louise mom called him she loved him so I let her have him mom had friends over all the time this tattered trailer held them while I watched and smelled the perfume watched her glow red and crystallize with 2 grown men then dad picked me up for the night next time a man drove up to the lot he rolled down the window and I ran up we talked and I must have been smart because he remembered me and drove off she wanted to talk about the spies the eyes in the trees that were watching her I ate the crystals she gave me saying these are cow grass, they put the cows to sleep I did not sleep she lectured me about all the terrible things that others could do to me or had done to others so I went outside and built a fire that fire lasted through the night the coals were most amazing things I'd ever seen I stared into their eyes keep them alive and nothing else mattered She came storming out of the tattered trailer after midnight or just before dawn I dont know screaming I'm being electrocuted! she said tired, I wondered why she felt that way she jumped into a tree and sat their shaking I tried to comfort her but she was on fire I saw that, tried to leave in vain she kept me close and dragged me to the battered trailer again she pulled me from place to place around the compound in the dawn the fire coals were cold and so was I wanted to sleep but she kept saying she was being electrocuted waking up I wandered to find the sheriff shaking her awake and taking her away they took me too to the dock where the van was where my dad was gone I told them he was teaching which was true so I woke up alone next to the payphone and crawled into bed in the van I didn't tell my dad