PENN SOUTH ESSAYS AND POEMS
A Literary Celebration of Penn South's 50th Anniversary
October, 2012
PennSouth SocialServices
ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS CHILDREN:
FIRSTPLACEWINNER
VIOLET KILLY
When IfirstmovedtoPenn South, I knewitasmy apartment. Theplace where Iate, slept, watchedashow, reada book, and went toafter kindergarten. When Idiscoveredallthe history behinditandtheincredibleopportunitiesit offered,itbecame myhome.
I stilleat, sleep, and doall thosethings, butI also get involved.
I can remember beinginthe community garden andhaving someonecome upto meandaskifI wouldliketo mowthe grass. Ieagerlyagreed,andwas set up withahandmowerin the back. As Istruggledtomaneuvermy way underpicnic tablesand benches, I realizedthatIwasmowing alawn inthe middleofManhattan. Inthecity ofskyscrapers, cement, and traffic, and here Iwas mowing a lawn. You don't really get that inthe city. Wehave gardens, parks, grass, andtreeswhich makesus quitean amazinganomaly,onethat Iam proud to be a part of.
Penn South has somuch tooffer, frommovienights, toteen night, to potlucks andmore. I'vehadsomany wonderful experiences here,and I knowthat this is oneofthe bestplaces togrowup. Ihope thatI can continuetobeapartofthe Penn Southcommunity and family forthe years to come.
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RAlIAV 'IGGY' SEGEV
I climbthestairs.
Oneat atime.
21 storiesup.
I doit almosteveryday, sometimesthreeormoretimes.
Stepbystep, upandup.
Mywork out fortheday, bloodpumping, pulseracing.
OnthewayIthinkaboutthepeopleI sayhello toeverydayin Penn South. TheneighborsIknow,theones Ijustrecognize.
Theonesthatnod, theothersthatwaveandsmile, theonesthat stopand talk. Theconversations ontheelevator(whenI takeit) ortheawkward silences.
Theold neighbors, theyoungones.
The oneswhohavepassed andtheones who'vejustarrived.
Theonesmykidsplay with.
Thenewbabies, theoldladies.
Thedogsand theirowners.
Dodgingstrollersandelectriccarts.
The maintenance guysandtheirshoppingcarts. Securityguys andthesmell offreshmown lawnsinthe summer.
Thepeopleinofficewhose voicesI recognize whenI call.
The flowers andtreesthatbloomall over thegroundsinthe spring.
Theballoonsshowingthewayto apartyinoneofthe community rooms.
Stepbystepupthestairs, till Ireachthetop, mythoughts drifting withthesightsandsoundsofthe Coopand whoI spoketoandsawon the way intothe lobby.
21 flights. Lessthanoneflightfor every yearI'vebeenhere. I takethelaststep.
Then finally I'matmydoor.
I'mhome.
MARY SMOKE GENERATIONS
Itwas 7pm,thewitching hourintheSmokehousehold, or should Isay the bewitching hour, the timewhenno oneelse woulddo but grandma andgrandpa. And where werethe grandparents?Whyintheir 13th floorapartment, only two floorsbelow our 15th floorapartment. How convenient forour multi-generational family presencein Penn South! And, we wereonthesame"odd"elevatorline.
In thelate 1970's, toddlersDavidandNaomi Smoke, dressedin theirpajamasandreadyforbed, couldjumpintothe elevatorandbeon grandma'sfloorintheblinkofan eye. No goingall thewaydowntothegroundfloorandswitching elevators, necessaryforodd floor/evenfloorvisits. Goingfrom oneoddfloortoanother, from 15 to 13, wasasquickandas easyas pushingabutton. Whentheywerevisitinggrandma and grandpa, theywerein for atreat ----bedtimestories, toys, and surprises. Onothernights, grandmacouldeasilybabysit and whenschoolbecame partofthescene,guess whooften tookthe kiddies toschoolorpickedthemup,sometimes on very short notice. Yes! GrandmaSmoke. Estherand Al Smoke, the 1st generation atPennSouth, hadbeenoriginal cooperators. TheirsonLen,myhusband, became the2nd generation. Ourtwochildren,DavidandNaomi, becamethe 3rdgenerationandnowthe 4th generationofSmokesis residinghereatPennSouth. Davidhashisownfamilynow, livinginBldg. 3withhiswifeSarahandchildrenLoganand Caiden . Manyoftheoldtraditionslingeralthough itisnow meinthe roleofgrandma. HasthetimetrulypassedsothatI havebecomethat? Iwalkby thesandparklooking forthe familiarfacesofmy grandchildrenandamthrilledandtickled pinktobeabletoopenthegate, stroll overtothem, andshare intheir energeticactivities. AsI do,thereisanelement ofdeja vuforthefacesofmy grandchildrenhavetaken theplaceof thoseofmy children. Theygreetmewiththeirgleefulgrins
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