Written By: D. Collins 5/15/25
To Piggy-back what was said by Kendrick Lamar.
I concur that what he said is the way things are.
Around the corner from me used to be Compton High.
On 120th and Central was that Centennial prize.
I go back in the day to the 1960's.
When Fort McArthur took care of our safety.
I remember Barton Hill in the San Pedro Hills.
Abraham Lincoln in Compton to learn fighting skills.
Junior High was the beginning of what was felt.
7th Grade meant I had to go to Roosevelt.
I lived around the corner from the Pilot House.
A Sailor's stomping ground where mom met pops.
My wife's named Irina, though we all call her 'Mom'
For her is this tribute, our little Psalm
She cooks delicious meals for our family every day
Happy to do it, without a nickel of pay
Whatever needs to be done, laundry or cleaning
She's on it cheerfully, to her it's not demeaning
For Irina takes pride in a home that sparkles and shines
A comfortable domicile, where we happily dine
The blessings she has brought to us, to count are so many
May God grant her good health and long life ~ to 120!
_______________________________________________
Jews traditionally wish each other long life to 120 years,
since that was how long Moses lived. (He passed away
on his 120th birthday).
Tunnel to nowhere-
once the promise of a dream
abandoned neath city streets-
brought to light in color
through bold artistic fantasy.
August 15, 2019
Contest: Second Edition of Wayra
Sponsor: Nette Onclaud
Syllable count 5, 7, 7, 6, 8- Unrhymed
"Inside a never-used Second Avenue Subway tunnel. Aside
from some inspections by MTA workers, the tunnels have been
sealed for decades." Jose Martinez/NY1
"Stretching from 110th to 120th Street, it was built in the 1970s,
part of a still-unrealized goal of running subway trains all along
Manhattan's far East Side. It's a reminder of an era when
New York dreamed big- and of a time when New York didn't
have the money to fulfill its dreams." Spectrum News, NY1
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