::05:13:08::

::: Woodbury New Jersey :::

Woodbury, New Jersey home to me self since birth my very late mother (bless her long departed soul) slaved and toiled per accursed penury and dearth tried her darnedest to create happiness while on earth would be livid with rage at the lack of neighbors’ manners if the spirit of said deceased returned to this home and hearth so let this poetic preface serve as a springboard to communicate anger for whatever this (hopefully non-futile) literary effort might be worth! This aged body of mine now creaky, nearly out of steam, and well nigh lost track of countless times auld lang sine and concomitant excitement filled past and long distant childhood waiting for ole saint nick to careen down the chimney flue lugging that humungous and bulging sackor going out hunting (when this area mostly woodlands) awash with fauna and flora and not unusual for pop and me to bring home a buck sporting a many tiered rack caught in the crosshairs of the firearms seemed the like a gendarme of the pack now, which memories flood my noggin, akin to overflowing waters o the Merrimack especially disconcerting with hostility from youths they seem politeness to lack spouting off nothing but expletives with the flip of the bird to us older folks and similar to the staccato machine gun fire in terms of that barrage of flack which pray tell utterly displeases this elderly mortal and such behavior moi aback! born in this same house on leona avenue, I (incidentally) do dwell which neighborhood once felt like heaven, but now seems like hell from increased unpleasant encroachments along this very narrow street such as one young chap (finagling his way into a home belonging to his dad and mom) who not only left his trash scattered on the property that blew everywhere pell mell but also parks a slew of cars up and down both sides of this narrow thoroughfare blithely co-opting an unused driveway by an elderly lady who lives alone oh, or a male friend of his who guns the engine of a roadster at the crack of dawn and when confronted blurted out “i gotta do what i gotta do” these complaints, I feel a need (albeit anonymously) this doddering soldier of misfortune doth wish to tell hoping the police can crack down e’en if they need to yell! Address and name withheld on request on account of this restoration of respect quest so…please do not misperceive me a pest only a concerned citizen at best!

Written by: ~ Penn Valley Poet