The Girl Next Door
By PD Lyons

When I remember
Third floor windows
Tall white lace sails
Summer all running in our veins
Her mother in the kitchen
Making cool aid and plate full of something
Cookie sweet to eat

She wanted me to stay
I was afraid, wanted to go home
But didn’t want her to know
Not wanting to be in this house of too many windows
Overlooking this mill town valley

But she wanted me to stay
Besides the rains begun
Going to be a real storm
Already rumblings from darkening horizon

And her mother agreed
I’ll call your parents. They won’t be worried.
You can stay for supper. You like hot dogs don’t you?

And that was how I learned not to be afraid of storms
Not to hide from thunder or lightning
Frances and her mother, exuberant
Ohs and ahs and joy over every
Menacing vibration sudden crash
Every flash veining skeletal zigzag

PD Lyons has been writing for a long time and hoes to continue to do so even longer. pd lyons work has appeared in mags and zines in North America and Europe and beyond. Two collections of poetry have been published by Lapwing Publishing Belfast. Please visit pdlyons blog for poetry publishing info and new releases:
http://pdlyons.wordpress.com/