Rush Hour On the Avenue
Rush Hour On the Avenue

Photo by Matthew Fassnacht on Unsplash

Standing on the porch, across from the Blue Ribbon factory,

up on the Ave,

I am, free as a bird, watching the cars go by.

The rush hour crowd is put on pause, as it waits for the light at the corner to

change.

They seem so lonely,

But are trying to look unbothered.



One checks her make-up.

One is keeping his nose clean.

One turns, looks at me,

I look back, and wave.

Stanley, with the long blond hair,

from Jimmy’s hot dog stand down the block,

cruises up, he too is waiting for the light.

Car window open: “This is Wolfman Jack, and this is Hall and Oates,”

says the disc jockey on the radio.

Stan shifts gears,

and adds his vocals to “Sarah Smile,”

and heads off down the Ave.

I turn my head and look towards the Mountains

crowned in magenta, gold, and pale blue, sitting at the end of highway.

Then, a warm breeze caresses my cheek,

it’s a good day.

©Maryam Ismail
['Maryam Ismail']
['Humanity', 'Home', 'America', 'Stories And Culture', 'Poetry']