What Mama Jean didn’t know

During the summer time,

we would run errands for the

business men

by the wharfs and get nickels,

sometimes we would each get a couple

of moon pies

a cola and as many peanuts as we could

stuff into our pockets from Mr. Santos’s store,

the spend the afternoon shelling peanuts to the fish

kicking our feet in the water,

Mama Jean always said it was a waste

but Mama Jean didn’t know how fun it was

to spend money frivolously and kick your feet

in the water,

she worked too damn hard.

#297