Mason Jars (11282025)

moms grandmother lived on Lanzit Ave a train ran down the middle of the street I hurled a lot of rocks at those passing boxcars you could get the best burger on the corner Jim Dandy's was Avalon Imperial but I preferred The Golden Bird across town the best fried chicken hands down everybody hung out at the record shop that's where it went down we were "flyin high in the friendly skies without ever leaving the ground" the struggle had us tired and weary but we weren't quite ready to lay our bodies down I went to school across those tracks Samuel Gompers and Leroy Lock she had a dog that looked like a dirty mop his name was Champ he was old didn't like to be bothered and only barked when we made too much noise she snapped a lot of beans cooked and hummed a bunch of tunes we all affectionately called her Mama she taught me a lot of stuff without telling me much I always watched she was non verbal her look said enough her eyes were grayish sometimes they were blue she made moonshine potato wine and pickled watermelon rinds she lived in the city with a few chickens in the backyard and a rooster crowing in the background when I seen what I saw come out a chickens a** I became highly allergic to eggs she only attended church on Easter and Mother's Day she was born in New Orleans Louisiana her roots were deep in the Mississippi Delta her hair was long and silver parted straight down the middle a braid on each side that looked like gray ropes rolled up into a bun her skin was like a tight black leather jacket it was that smooth there were wrinkles in her expression I didn't know much of her business one of her sayings was a child need to stay in a child's place and grown folk ain't got no business in other grown folks business she kept secrets the kind you take to the grave I think of her from time to time especially when peeling potatoes for french fries trying to figure out how she made that moonshine and brine for those rinds I can still see those beautiful eyes in my mind trying to give me a sign