Peach State by Adrienne Su

Author:Adrienne Su [Su, Adrienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780822988236
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

No Trespassing

More dead end than cul-de-sac, dense with dogwood and pine,

its houses mostly hidden, its people unfamiliar,

one road showed that all of this used to be wild.

We walked, biked, and roller-skated every street, even there,

loving the steep drop at the entrance, after which the pavement stopped

and our skates caught. On hottest days we sought the cover

of its overhanging boughs, which gave us privacy to talk.

Some days we declared we were entering primeval

woodland, like Hansel and Gretel or Nancy Drew with a sidekick,

forgetting that anyone could see us, until we reached

the end of the road, where angry signs clamored

from tree trunks. A long driveway led to the unseen.

Even the weeds stood sentry. Perhaps they obscured

a grizzled man with a shotgun or rifle, lying in wait

for the knife salesman or candidate for mayor

who dared defy the warning. Was it fear or hate

that made a man like this? Did he have a wife?

Was he watching us now, hearing gossip from fifth grade?

We never went across. We stood on our side of the line,

peering into the thicket, improbably protected

by compliance. As long as we committed no crime,

this least-neighborly of neighbors couldn’t get us,

would not try. We never considered sticking a foot in

to see what would happen. Something monstrous

might leap to grab it, or the ground split open

to swallow us. How long until our families wondered?

Surely we were too young to prosecute; children,

especially in summer, were expected to wander

the vicinity of home. To trespass is, in essence,

to pass beyond; in French it becomes “to die,” trépasser.

We had done no such thing, which made us confident

we would always make it home for dinner,

which we did. Which made it insignificant.

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