POPS STORE

I remember sitting out front eating sweets
while grandpop sweeped and muttered and sweeped
"I'm going to learn you something boy"
"boy you hear me?"
... "I'm going to learn you something"
Summer spent in DC on the N.E. corridor
1st & Rhode Island I remember
just me and my brother
in stripe Izods short sleeves
tall 3 stripes sox, cut off shorts, I think Levi jeans
sporting a shag like Billie Dee
Couldn't wait to sip on one of those King Cobras or Cult 45's
Little girls giggling playing double dutch and hopscotch
boys acting like girls were yucky at the age of 7
Neighborhood gang making their rounds
always spray painting their names on pops corner store wall
he went and got his gun
they run
he stand outside yelling with his gun
they still run
we thought that was fun
well
funny to see them run spots run
Boyeee,
Pops sure love that store
mom didn't sweep her house that much
like Pops was sweeping that corner store floor
Pops was real smart though
only two kids at a time
was on a sign on the front door
"exact change only"
said the sign on the counter

Love them summer days
them real hot summer days
the girls in their tube tops short shorts
and Pops would look and shake his head
fresh little girls, hot in the pants he said
I started noticing girls
when I saw them lips in popsicle blue and red
rolling heads and smacking tongue everytime
they said something
they look good,
but not as good as Pops store
he swept his floor, and he swept that clean floor
that was the pride and joy of the block
the hangout spot for thugs at nights
the cool down in miday for uniform cops
they like pops
but pops got sick
he got real sick
closed sign was on the store for weeks
closed sign turned to for sale sign
but we still hung out in front of the store
closing eyes and hearing Pops sweep and muttering
Pops store was nice
and even looking like this 20 years later
its still fly.

POPS STORE

 By LeRoy TNW Goetzendanner