***paradise-(Part 5) -The Landlord Poem by Coach Roth

***paradise-(Part 5) -The Landlord

Rating: 2.0


(Part 5)

The Landlord

Hard to find an apartment
on a budget in L.A.,
but Maria chose Echo Park...

'Your favorite song writer Tom Waits
has a house there.'
So did a quarter of a million Hispanics.
Coach knew the way Maria thought...

But the rent was right and
the neighborhood was...
the rent was right.

The landlord was black...
grey hair sticking up like a cockatiel...
a middle age man with an
amazingly strong grip
yet body turning soft...
tatoos, scars,
long ago reminders
of his early youth in gangs...
'have a beer with me'

...and so they sat...
the landlord telling brutal tales of
South Central L.A.,
Coach telling tales of
East Central..........Iowa.

A six pack later
the sun sinking over the smog
covered mountains lighting
up the sky like a kid gone
wrong with crayons...

'White boy, no offense...
but this town is going to eat you alive.'

Coach quiet, softly polite...
'I don't think I'll let that happen.'

Landlord rears back
with gut shaking belly laughs...
'White boy, that's exactly what I'm talking about.'

(To be Cont.)

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Connetta jean VanMatre 09 March 2009

interesting topic..good poem. kept me reading.

0 0 Reply
Emancipation Planz 04 May 2008

'covered mountains lighting up the sky like a kid gone wrong with crayons...'... this is where I want to be... oh well on to the cont.

0 0 Reply
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Coach Roth

Coach Roth

East Dubuque, IL
Close
Error Success