fly ash blues

everyone was kinda eyeing up

the new kid in the neighborhood

that would be me

in the alley behind our house

soot gathered at the curb

the empty lot beside the school

that had burned down years before

served well for pickup football games

so i showed off my speed

not knowing how to answer

some of the snide remarks

about the 'commanists' that

used to live in the house

we had just moved in to

i don't know how it started

but everyone started calling me benji

after my middle name

since i did play clarinet

and besides

i was a jew

who was happy or sad enough

to run circles

around most of them

across every empty lot

on the 'nor' side

instead of chasing down loose change

to buy another pack of pall malls

winter brought black ash

on white snow

so i had to get into playing pool

to stay warm

pittsburgh after all was nothing

more than a company town

of 1950s slimy politicians

looking for new ways

to urban removal

or 'screw the people'

& wave the flag

all at the same time

so sometimes you just have to

cut out your space

& make the most of a lousy hand

you were never gonna be

another bobby layne or john henry johnson

you were stuck right now

up against the murky rivers

of time

and circumstance

as my dad would always tell me

everything will change

when the time is ripe

and the wind is at your back

--- e b bortz