Down the skinny sidewalk
A piece from the moon
Leads to a curved dirt road
That blooms into a silver path
That twists and turns
Forking and splitting different ways
From a small family home
To a busy main street
It is surrounded
By light pink flowers
Small ones that children
Would pick while laughing
Sticking the buds in their clothes and hair
Joking like they ruled the deserts and the oceans
It is surrounded by fuzzy green leaves
Small cups that would brush up against ankles
A lamb’s ear that was thrown about
Blossoming from a clump on the ground
To a light and fluttering confetti
It is surrounded by tall grasses
Some are a bright and hopeful green
Some a calm and dark emerald color
Some on the edge of death
But still standing as tall as possible
It’s yellow tip not stopping it from living
The path follows an unmoving stream
Buzzing with mosquitoes and dragonflies
Water bugs and cattail that sway passively
As the breeze lingers by
Here you can hear birds chirp
You can hear kids and parents laugh
Dogs bark and the clink of their leashes
The happy sound that slowly faded over the years
As the clopping steps of joggers disappeared
And the steady clicks of dogs with their owners vanished
Left with only the sound of crickets occasionally waking
Left with a lonely buzzing of quiet
Down a cracked sidewalk
An old piece of unused concrete
Leads to a crumbly mud road
The once again opens to a cold stone track
That snakes and stutters
Breaking off into separate lives
From identical brick houses
To a musky overdriven road
It is surrounded
By weeds and things that don’t belong
Plants that grow on and on
Engulfing the flowers
Leaving no room for anything else to thrive
It is surrounded by rough, dead leaves
Sharp knives that would scratch up ankles and shins
Lifeless bowls that would sit
Caught under the branches of tall weeds
Until they would simply rot away
Only going falling deeper and deeper down
It is surrounded by stubby grasses
All brown or yellow
Hanging a centimeter off the ground
Grasses that have given up their green hope
And resorted to a lifeless tan
Existing only to later die
A broken rock path that lingers along
A withering stream that is too dry to even flow anymore
A useless bridge that goes over nothing but dirt
Plants too rigid and parched to move at all
Here it is too quiet
Too cold
Too unwelcoming for anyone to enjoy
Not until someone loosens up
Someone sends an invite
Someone cracks a smile
And begins to socialize
Can we enjoy
the vivacious air of community again
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