Book of Amelia II

Amelia grew

into a brave warrior

wielding a heart sword.

It was her dream to start fresh,

so she flew to the east coast.

She turned twenty-six

when the nineteen

twenties roared.

In New York, she met a bard

singing on her street block.

People threw insults

at the bard with a straw hat

resting on his head.

She reached for a coin,

a few gold pocket dollars.

She approached the bard

while he sang “Scarborough Fair,”

holding out her hand.

The bard removed his straw hat,

catching Amelia’s gift.

When Amelia

arrived at her apartment,

it was in arrears.

It took her a few months.

At last, she made New York home.

Humming to the tune

of the bard, “True love of mine,”

Luna took her shift.

After a good night’s slumber,

Amelia went to vote.

Casting her first vote

on that November Tuesday,

Amelia smiled.

She walked a victory lap

back to her home in Five Points.

Passing by the bard

in the same way every day,

she shared what she could.

Young hecklers, growing hostile,

threatened the straw hat bard's life.

R.L.P. Auriga

Long Island, New York