School Days

Living in Cabrini Green I remember waking up to the sound of WBMX every weekday,

When you heard Lu Palmer’s voice you knew there was no more time to lay.

It was time to shower and get dressed,

Then off to Richard E. Byrd school to take a test.

Then off to gym at Seward Park to jump rope or play basketball,

Then back to class in single file to stand quietly in the hall.

I always loved when it was library time with Mrs. Blanchard because I really

enjoyed reading Encyclopedia Brown,

Also listening to African folk tales on the slide projector which had sound.

At the end of the day every subject was covered from math to social studies,

And yes,  I got more than enough time to eat and play with all of my buddies!

I remember after school running home to watch Gilligan’s Island,

To see if those 7 crazy castaways ever made it to dry land.

Then I watched Good Times to see if JJ ever made it out of the projects,

But none of them ever reached their destination until the last episode I suspect.

Cabrini is where I first heard a Stevie Wonder song,

Cabrini is where I first learned right from wrong.

Cabrini Green is where I experienced my first crush,

It is also a place that outsiders judged you in a rush.

But in my heart and mind I never truly cared what folks thought,

Because everyone has to reside somewhere and to each his own is what

I was taught.

Cabrini

is a place in my mind that I run to write stories from my heart,

It’s not where I live now but it was my start.

Doreen Ambrose Van Lee