Brick
THIS POEM IS IN FIVE PARTS!
If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.
- Orson Welles
PART 1
The heart of the city beats
The jungle that never sleeps
I was born on the streets....
Never been fully fed,
Never slept on a bed,
even when I sold my body for bread
I have a little girl
More precious than any pearl
She's all I have in this world
We sometimes stand at junctions
And we endure all your assumptions
Until our legs cease to function
The last time my girl had her own room
Was when she was still in my womb
And yet her joy still blooms
Though our days are fearful
And my nights tearful
Somehow, she remains cheerful
She giggles when it thunders
She jokes about hunger
Her eyes still possess wonder
PART 2
My poor senseless daughter
Despite everything I taught her
Found a flower that she would water
But not the kind of flower you would think
And I wondered if my child was sick
For what she watered was a BRICK
Even though I had my doubts
She would joyously shout
That with enough water and sunlight
the brick would grow into a house
It was funny at first
Until she put the brick over her own thirst
Then my patience finally burst
She met me with resistance
So I tossed the brick into the distance
And with no words, she cursed my existence
Some of the light in her eyes was lost
But i ignored the cost
Her safety and wellbeing were my only thoughts
Later, I saw a mother buying her son a toy
And his face was full of joy
And it made me think about what I'd destroyed
So I searched, and found another brick
Though this one was slightly chipped
I laid it in front of her, and poured some water on it
And she hugged me for the first time in ages
I gave no thought to our starvation
For we were no longer strangers
PART 3
A few days later, if I recall
we returned from begging at a nearby mall
In the alley where we slept stood a brick wall 🧱
The wall was yay high
Did someone put it there? Why?
There were no builders nearby...
My daughter seemed to have a clue
"Mommy look the brick grew!"
But I knew it couldn't possibly be true....
A week later, there were now three walls and a roof
My daughter thought this was conclusive proof
I scanned each brick, but I couldn't find the truth
Was this an act of God? We're not so devout
In a concrete jungle....could a brick truly sprout?
Would we someday walk into a complete house?
PART 4
And then, finally, the day came
A sight that would put your imagination to same
A massive mansion now loomed where there was once an alleyway
I looked around to make sure we were in the right place
We were. This house simply defied time and space
An unpainted, dirty brick stood out against the rest of the buildings face
So we knocked on the giant doors....and waited patiently
Then the doors swung open lazily
A man in a tuxedo greeted us, and bowed gracefully
While we stared at the home in pure amazement
I was led away....to a bathroom with some maidens
And with considerable shame, I got naked
But they happily scrubbed my body and my hair, which was quite a mess
Thereafter they draped me in an elegant dress
I daresay I looked like a princess
Then after doing my hair
I was led down a set of gilded stairs
To a great dining hall with a massive table, and chairs
Where my daughter awaited
She looked like a princess too, and she was elated
A banquet was laid out before us, and we did not need to be persuaded
The first few bites brought tears to our eyes
We'd never seen so much food in all of our lives
We ate countless pies, chicken thighs and french fries
And other things we'd never heard of before
And we ate and drank and ate some more
We ate until our stomachs were sore
My dear child pushed out her tummy
"Look, it's like I have a baby, mommy."
And I laughed. Why was my kid so funny?
We were so full we were now feeling tired,
so we were led to room....with a huge bed, and a fire
And we were given silken bedroom attire
I lay on the bed with my daughter by my side
We were comfortable for the first time in our lives
My poor baby could barely keep open her eyes.
I caressed her hair and told her it's fine
She brought her body close to mine
Then she closed her eyes and smiled at me one last time
I'll join you soon, I said
And I kissed her gently on the head.
and I sang her a song as we lay on the bed
PART 5
I woke up to the sounds of cars
my child still in my arms
The rain beating down on us hard
The castle was just a dream....no, a lie
The brick lay nearby
And now we urgently had to get dry
I gave my child a shake
But she still would not wake
And my heart began to break
She looked as though she were merely sleeping
But she was no longer breathing
I found myself screaming
For help,
but I was invisible to the people
My child looked so peaceful,
But that look was deceitful
I'll join you soon, I said
And I kissed her gently on the head.
And I grabbed the brick
THE END