Issue #1 Winter 2002
Suburbia
by Fred Longworth
I ran over a child today,
another bump in the road.
Her parents waited until the commercial break,
then came out to the street.
The father was concerned
that a death in the neighborhood
would depress property values.
The mother removed the girl
from her bloody dress,
and took the garment inside to be laundered.
I told them I was sorry about what happened.
They said not to worry.
They had insurance.©2002 Fred Longworth
Fred Longworth co-hosts the open-mic reading at Twiggs Coffee & Tea in San Diego. His poetry has recently been published in Slant, Miller's Pond, Words on a Wire, and Pearl. His poem "She's Never Planned" won first prize in the 1998 Verve magazine open contest.