Bungalows. Lots of them. All in rows.
One after the other. Along a brick street. Life unfolds.
Different style dormers. Front doors, many hues.
Garages. Some porches. Large old trees. Some new.
Juan and his wife, young daughter and son.
Generous. Kind. Kid sounds drift by. From the pool and the yard.
Basketball. Rim shot. Lands by our chairs.
Son asks politely. Come get it! We live on this street - with you.
Her mother, her brothers, her long dark hair.
Quiet lives. Roses. Small backyard meals.
The boys have their cars. She has her chores.
Rugs scrubbed and hanging. Our street is their home.
New neighbor. Welcome. Roxana and kids.
Cell numbers shared. A laugh. Someone’s always here.
Single mom. One car. Three workers. Three shifts.
She runs. And she runs. In and out of our street.
Castro. Behind us. Works hard. Seldom home.
Shared tree. Can we cut it? Yes, please. Oh, good, thanks.
Mows when he can. Older soul. Cheerful.
Truly our neighbor. But next street over.
Margaret. Dog walker. Plain and polite.
Asks if the fire screen is meant for the trash. Yes, please take it.
Dog barks. So loudly. We give up our chat.
She totes the screen. Down our street. To her home.
Two doors away. Young couple. Blond child.
Names exchanged. Greetings given. But now, I forget.
Instead. We wave our hellos. When we can.
As they raise a family. On our street.
Gloria. Single. Diagonally close.
Here twenty years. Seen some come. Seen some go.
Sits on her front step, surveying our block.
Mother of the street. Queen of her yard.
Now us? We’ve lived here a year. Two wives. Four cats.
In our quiet bungalow. On our quiet street.
You good? Yep. All good. That’s good. There is peace.
In our row of bungalows. On our quiet street.
Known for her quick wit and loud laugh, Leslie Kouba Bednar is a high energy force with an intense interest in all things not boring. Currently, she is a multi-career professional. Under her own business name, LLBednar Consulting, LLC, Ms. Bednar provides engagement consultation to help small to medium size nonprofits grow their target audiences. In April 2018, she earned her realtor’s license and currently works with Howard Hanna. Recently, Ms. Bednar became a Reiki Practitioner, Master Level and provides energy wellness feedback through private consultation. Her love of good words and clear communication supports her favorite activity—thoughtful conversation. In her free time, Leslie enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles, sitting on her new deck with a cool beverage, and playing with words, especially to produce memoir writings and humorous essays.
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Cleveland Public Library
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Cleveland, OH 44114
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