Vendor Poetry

That Beautiful Smile

JEN A.

It’s been almost a year, hasn’t it

Since I last saw you

You looked up at me with that

Bright joyful smile of yours

And your eyes were twinkling

Catching every bit of light in the room

I can still see you now

I keep the image in my mental file

To pull up on grey dreary days

It reminds me of how life used to be

Surrounded by friends, family, fun

With all the bells and whistles

Days of wild abandon

When we hugged and laughed and

Reveled in being close

What I wouldn’t give to hug you now

I was so sorry to hear about your mother S

he gave you that beautiful smile, you know

And she’d want you to carry it on

Carry it on, precious, carry it on

TOO GOOD

JEN A.

He’s a good man

Shirt off his back good

I count to four

And the coughing on the other side

Of the concrete block wall

That divides our small cells

Begins again

It’s a deep dry crack hack

That booms from his barrel chest

Like a cannon I count to three

Again the coughing rages

He’s only seen life

Through the barrel of a gun

From mean streets to N

am And back again

I count to two

Will this hit be enough

To expel the horror and pain

He carries so deep inside

Will he have to cough up a lung

To finally breathe free I count one

He’s too good

For what America has

Made of him