There stood a house, on Eleventh Street,
That I frequently drove by.
Sometimes, a little old lady
Would catch my eye.

She’d be there, watering her yard,
And not to waste a drop!
But, everything was watered and green
Before she would stop.

There was a vine of ivy on
The east side of the house ~
Some elms that made it through the drought,
Some spreaders on the south.

One day, I noticed dryness, for
The blades of grass were thin.
Something had happened and I wished
To see it green, again.

...I used to have a big yard,
Where the grass was lush and green;
Pots of pretty flowers ~
A big swing in between.

But, like the house on Eleventh Street,
My blades are thin and dry;
And no one comes to do the work.
I watch it 'til it dies.

I don’t expect the world to
Understand my growing old.
They’re just like me. Perhaps they’ll see,
As I did ~ long ago.

Joan Clifton Costner
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Midi by :

Margi Harrell
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Used with permission.