April 13 relationship poem

The Old Neighborhood

Maida was friends with Maddy;
When they fought, one would be my friend instead.

Occasionally, we all tossed a frisbee in the street
Calling out when cars drove by; watching for dog doo.

We loved the young man who worked in the candy store;
His ponytail and scraggly beard. How much candy we bought!

The old Armenian lady raised the American flag every morning;
We called her the flag lady and she never spoke to anyone.

After she died, the old man saw me smoking,
Begged me to stop: cancer had killed her.

Our cat named Sam found his way into Sam Coleman’s basement;
Trapped there for days, making a mess.

Only the Millers put up Christmas trees and lights;
Still Nic Cage shot a scene from Family Man in front of our house.

I was a skinny girl, so the obstetrician next door called me fat.
The old maple tree died and they never planted a new one.