Urban Spring

April short but mighty
we have no peach flowers
only ads promising youth
Spring in the city
without much ado
we wait

Urban Summer

August heavy like old carpet
we have nothing to say
watching her burn in
metaphor of history
our skin dry like sand

Urban Winter

December mild like tea
lights on palm trees
snow on Hallmark cards
Christ on Broadway
no wisemen found
nights are longer
like our hunger 

One Good Man

When I ran, I would run to MacArthur Park. At the foot of Downtown split into two by Wilshire Boulevard. When I was a little girl, my grandfather used to take me to MacArthur Park. And after we were done walking around feeding ducks, he would take me to Langer’s for a pastrami sandwich on rye with a kosher pickle. We did not talk much. In between searching his pockets for our bus transfers back home, Opa would pause, smile at the sky, pull the transfers from his coat pocket, and cup my chin with his left hand comforting me.  

Kitchen Table

Chipped China cup with rubbed-off pale pink, lilac rosettes, and red hearts. Thin, tender green leaves on stems support the bouquet. Inside black coffee with molasses, lukewarm on the edge of cold. I relished flipping radio stations while blanking out my mind. Looking for a message from the great beyond, periodically a cricket or bird chirp would break the spell. Mattresses on sale, car insurance, KPFK Patty Hearst soundbites. The hardened rye toast on the table smelled familiar and a thick sadness overwhelmed me. No tears from downcast eyes. In the soul an increasing yearning for my mother’s voice.

~~~

Born and raised in Los Angeles, mb writes about the downtown urban life experience. Inspired by personal events, mental illness, and working with vulnerable communities. mb has been published by Indie Blu(e) Publishing, 2020 and 2021; The Short of It, 2020; Newington Blue Press, 2021; Prolific Pulse Press, 2021. Marisela’s piece, Fulfillment, featured in the first anthology – was selected for the Pushcart Prize.

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