Memories
The legacy of concrete walls
and endless stairs, and many halls
the candy houses, Miss Calloway’s
The life I lived back in the day.
Running through the alleys, dogs barking
Fear they’d get out, psst your not stopping
On the way to the damen store
What did grandmama send us for?
Mother sends you to church Sunday
Sister Ross teaches of Gods way
While mother recuperates from last night
Because she partied to the break of daylight
Family bonds at that time was strong
The elders kept you from doing wrong
And the cousins were so close and tight
Offering back up if you had to fight
And remember Halloween at the boys club
The spook house we all hated to love
Gathering at Grandmama’s house on christmas
A family tradition I’ve been truly missing
The old Bull & Blackhawks stadium
And remember stadium night
The cars and all the people and all the lights
They came to see the Bulls or Blackhawks games
Probably never knew our project’s name
Birney school going to kindergarten, a starter
I will never forget the teacher Miss Barter
Miss Crawford, Miss Hendersen, Miss Lovelace
In my heart these teachers hold a special place
Rhonda Rest in peace my Cousin, I love you
Darryl My big cousin I missing you too.
Grandmama we are struggling without you.
I know from heaven they are guiding us through
A world away from where I started, here today
I now see, Living the Henry Horner way,
We could not miss the things we never had
And we didn’t know our neighborhood was bad
Looking back on the hard times in the day
I would not change it in any way
But now those buildings are gone forever
The memory’s I have, I’ll forever treasure
©2001 Shannon Davis
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