Chapter Text
Your house
is one of those houses
Part of a group
that sits by itself
Too poor to do much.
They watch as the other houses
giggling with their friends
skip and merrily play
while your house
tries to ignore the stinging bruises
festering on its knee.
Oh! What a shame
that these houses
must stand off to the side
as they ignore the bruise on their cheek
"I'll be more careful next time, Ma."
Oh! What a shame
that these houses
must hide their face
as they hastily attempt to cover the splotches of mud coating their dress
with their hands.
And you sit on the pavement next to it,
thinking.
There are no kids who want to play with you
but Dad says its because you need to tidy up
and act like a girl.
He doesn't really mind
He doesn't really care.
In this community,
there are groups.
And you need a criteria to get in one of these groups.
Nothing too fancy,
Be a boy;
Enjoy dressing up;
Be over thirteen years old.
Your eight-year-old mind knew
that you weren't getting any friends
because you weren't with the crowd.
You try not to scuff your sneakers
Sneakers
which are battered beyond repair.
Ma or Dad wouldn't replace it any time soon,
because they
"Can't afford it."
And they can't afford
to care
either
You're certain people would look at you odd
if you talked about how the houses were in a group
But if people can be in groups
why not houses?