Aurora

15

My Neighborhood in Summertime
(A Parody of the poem Chicago by Carl Sandburg)

Land of Lazy Backyard Barbeques,
Chlorine-Ridden Wonderland, Sea of Sweaty Tarmac,
World of the Bored Avid Gardener;
Green, sunny, lazy,
Neighborhood of Post-Hippie Soccer Parents:

They tell me you are bored and I believe them,
for I have seen your children pedalling through strange backyards for the thrill.
And they tell me you are posh and I answer: Yes, I watch four cars pull into extended driveways.
And they tell me you are lazy and my reply is: I have seen the teenagers lie on towels in the soft
sun all day.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them
back their sneer and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lolling head so satisfied to be quiet and sleepy and joyful
and lazy.
Laughing head back as it rolls in lush brilliant grass, here is a warm full-bellied senior citizen
chugging along in a fast paced world;
Sleepy as a seven year old trying to stay up till New Years’, content as a dog with a bone,
Napping,
Running,
Grinning,
Laughing,
Barbecuing, swimming, biking,
Drowsy smiles exchanged, popsicles dripping on frayed jean shorts.
Under the sweet bursting fireworks of July,
Smiling as a contented child smiles,
Eating and grinning that we are timeless,and in our fingers we grasp the youth that others can
only dream of,
Grinning!
Grinning with sun-stained cheeks pulled back in the euphoria of being the Land of Lazy
Backyard Barbecues, the Chlorine-Ridden Wonderland, Sea of Sweaty Tarmac,
World of the Bored Avid Gardener, and Bellinghams’ Neighborhood of Post-Hippie Soccer Parents.