The bell rings. I grab all of my papers in a messy stack and put them under my arm, grab my lunch pail and join the other kids heading for the catwalk.
We move up the ramp like baby animals on to greener pastures, pause at the top, grasp the chainlink fence and look out over the moving cars below. We raise our arms up and down to try to make the cars honk.
Sometimes we spit over the edge. Just before I run down the other side of the spiral ramp, I notice two boys have hidden themselves overhead. They’re waiting to scare the small brown boy with the jet black hair. When they jump in front of him his face turns white and then red. He chases them in a rage.
I pause and take my time walking the rest of the way home. We're in first grade.
There’s a creek that flows under the freeway ramp. I pull and munch on the wild licorice that grows along the bank of the creek, I can hear frogs in the willows. I make up songs as I walk alone. I have to stop because my sides ache. I pause to look for tadpoles in the creek and scoop them up in an empty jar from my lunchbox.
I walk through the park but I don’t linger, it doesn't feel like a place for kids.
Sometimes we spit over the edge. Just before I run down the other side of the spiral ramp, I notice two boys have hidden themselves overhead. They’re waiting to scare the small brown boy with the jet black hair. When they jump in front of him his face turns white and then red. He chases them in a rage.
I pause and take my time walking the rest of the way home. We're in first grade.
There’s a creek that flows under the freeway ramp. I pull and munch on the wild licorice that grows along the bank of the creek, I can hear frogs in the willows. I make up songs as I walk alone. I have to stop because my sides ache. I pause to look for tadpoles in the creek and scoop them up in an empty jar from my lunchbox.
I walk through the park but I don’t linger, it doesn't feel like a place for kids.
As I arrive at the underpass, the boys are still fighting and the little brown boy with the jet black hair throws a bottle at the group of boys which bounces and shatters against the underpass wall, spilling shards into the road.
I hover and consider crossing the street but there are too many cars.
I hover and consider crossing the street but there are too many cars.
My friend Corinne is outside playing when I pass by her house.
She joins me and we walk up the alley and across the railroad tracks to the old chicken processing plant.
She joins me and we walk up the alley and across the railroad tracks to the old chicken processing plant.
It's long abandoned now. We pick a building in the middle of the group and crawl up the narrow chicken ramp to a little square hole to enter. We squeeze inside and stand up. The old barn is empty except for some strands of hay on the wooden floor. Then I spy a cot in the corner. It's stuffed with more hay, no mattress but there's a sleeping bag and next to it sits a small wooden produce box crowned with a silver alarm clock.
“There’s someone living here!” I exclaim. Light pours in from the gapped beams above.
It's very pleasant in the coop.
“There’s someone living here!” I exclaim. Light pours in from the gapped beams above.
It's very pleasant in the coop.
We go back to my house and gather some lemons from the tree. We look in the couch for loose change.
I find 36 cents! I take a steak-knife from the drawer and add it to the paper bag (to cut the lemons), then we head to Food City where we buy a bag of chips and add it to the bag of lemons (a real feast!).
We march back to the abandoned chicken processing plant and climb back up the ramp to the coop.
We leave the bag of loot and the remaining money on the bed for it's owner.
We head for the creek on the other side of property, we hear there’s a rope-swing!
I find 36 cents! I take a steak-knife from the drawer and add it to the paper bag (to cut the lemons), then we head to Food City where we buy a bag of chips and add it to the bag of lemons (a real feast!).
We march back to the abandoned chicken processing plant and climb back up the ramp to the coop.
We leave the bag of loot and the remaining money on the bed for it's owner.
We head for the creek on the other side of property, we hear there’s a rope-swing!
Together we walk along the path until we can hear the sound of kids playing along the embankment. As we get closer we can see they're taking turns swinging on a rope with a steering wheel attached. Many kids stand watching and waiting for their turn. The swing floats over a deeper part of the same creek. There's a little bit of water in it but it mostly looks muddy. All of the kids are older, they laugh and swear.
We look at each other, shrug and turn towards home.
We look at each other, shrug and turn towards home.
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