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Annie

Annie

across the street

the carousel was calling

and my kid heard

laid down a $20

and bought some memories

and then some

the woman standing next to me,

a grandmother watching her granddaughter,

she tells me that Annie’s 6

and how happy she is to see her laughing

she could have stopped there

and said, “have a good day …”

but didn’t

Annie had a baby brother

but that was three years ago

it was a hot day

too hot to be left in a car

for that long

the on-duty officer turned the grandfather away

and then threw up

the mother, drugged out of her mind, had forgotten

her baby

now, she’s serving time

and her daughter, Annie, is growing up

without a mother, without a brother

she’s got her dad, but not really

her grandparents are the ones

who take her to town

to ride the carousel

TL

Published inTamiko Lowery