Ode to My Beloved 826 Treat Street 

You stand tall and thin on Treat

Staring at all below

Squished between others 

Tucked snug into place 

and haven’t moved in years

You’ve stayed around,

beige walls coated with a fresh layer of paint

Your stairs haven’t changed 

Smooth red and white spotted marble

melted into one 

that leads up to my door

I remember watching fireworks 

on the fourth of July

from your long windows and

setting up pillow forts on the porch

Laughing hysterically 

I bet you remember the chihuahua’s 

scratching your door in excitement

eager to know who was on the other side

The dove nest by the windowsill is gone

Her gentle cooing still rings in my ears

The bottlebrush tree has grown bushy and large

Furry, red flowers that dangle 

over the top of the metal gate

Ants climb up and down it’s twisty trunk

in the cracks and crevices 

of the soft, velvety bark 

Across the street 

El Porvenir Produce Market 

waits for me to buy a gallon of 

lactose intolerant milk for mom

and those sweet, crunchy Orejas

with flakes that melt in your mouth

From the ceiling hung colorful pinatas

and even if the fruit stands out front 

are no longer there

the blue sign with its name 

still flapps in the wind

above it’s closed doors

As I walk down the newly paved road

I look up and say hi

I smile at you

and you smile at me.