Sunday, June 16, 2013

On the Streets Where We Live

Some of us get our best and most restorative exercise cycling or walking the beautiful streets of our city.  Here's a poem inspired by tweets from a current and a former Cleveland Heights resident and about what one can observe on these leisurely recreational outings.


What’s in a Name? 

Was it imitation or appropriation that gave the framers
of our city’s streets the impetus for naming 
them as if we lived a Merrie Olde existence? 

My morning cycle wheels me past half-timbered
Tudor castle-lets on sheep-sheared lawns along
the quiet streets of Berkshire, Essex, Norfolk;
the shops on Coventry, and yes, down Tudor.  
 
Longer rides meander Anglified suburban ‘shires’
of Devon, Derby, Lancashire.  And while there’s
neither Hartford, nor a Hereford, many a Fair Lady
lives on Hampshire Road—tree-lined and shady. 

I prefer the names that come to mind,
spontaneously on my evening constitutionals. 
This street surely should be Lilac Lane;
another could be Mock Orange Blossom Row. 
The roses now are blooming on what used to be
the fragrant and abundant Avenue of Peonies.   

And though I know this isn’t England - it’s the Heights,
those of us who live here have the privilege
to bike and walk amid a Botanic Garden of Delights.
 
Now let's get some tweets going about Cumberland Pool, Cain Park, baseball and tennis - I see you out there on the Middle School courts and running on the track.  Tweet me. #htspoetweet
Kathleen

Wednesday, June 12, 2013


First June Poetweet Post, thanks to an amazingly beautiful and more amazingly talented actress in our midst.  

June's topic is Parks and Recreation. There are many kinds of recreation.  For those of us who work all day, sometimes just a drink with friends is like a small vacation.


Happy Hour 

You’re dancing down the sidewalk toward our evening;
summer in your hair and open smile.
Too long the time and far too many changes
since we said we’d meet and share our lives. 

At the Fairmount, sparkled conversation;
the tingled sting of icy gingered drinks.
Faces flushed with eager, shared connections;
two women, strong and happy - on the brink
of expectation for the coming chapter
in our lives, already overflowing -  full and rare. 

We leave the warm sorority of this hour,
refreshed from work and home and other cares;
walk home through summer’s rain-washed, ruby air.