Wildflower
In a tenement near the Henry Hudson River ; From my favorite spot on a rusting fire escape ; I would look below. ; And see Mario ; Braving the ferocious dandelions ; Mario, our fearless superintendent ; Kept the garden green, despite the parkway smog ; But the flowering weeds ; Their fates decreed ; Pulled, to keep his rosebush from dying ; Then I would creep inside, curl up in my bed ; Something strong was pulling at my head ; Pulling at my heart ; Wild flower, growing in all the wrong places ; Wild flower, so lonely ‘neath that lovely rose bush ; Proper garden’s nightmare, queen of opened fields ; Tell me, who will love this wildflower ; For exactly what she is? ; Years passed by, we left that red brick building ; Left Mario behind ; For a brand new house ; But my dark brown skin ; On the white washed walls within ; Stood out, so it’d get me up and cryin’ ; My growing pains had many rooms to fill, then ; Mother never know ; ..Had a garden to keep clean ; While there was NY grease ; On her young flower from the Middle East ; She was busy pulling dendelions ; Then I would creep inside, curl up in my bed ; Something strong was pulling at my head ; Pulling at my heart ; Wild flower, growing in all the wrong places ; Wild flower, so lowly ‘neath that lovely rosebush ; Proper garden’s nightmare, queen of opened fields ; Tell me, who will love this wildflower ; For exactly what she is?; 