On Harding Road

By Lisa Marie Harmon

In a tiny house, on Harding Road

as breezes through the oak leaves flowed

in a quiet midwest lakeside town,

kindly neighbors all around,

a mother in a kitchen stood,

a sister asking if she could

watch one more show or maybe two

Dora, Barney, Scooby Do?

Warm beams of light on golden floor

where ninja turtles fight a war

A sleeping dog lies near the chair

A loyal guard, her name is Bear

Dad’s out hosing down the walk

washing away the sisters’ chalk

A little boy hears such a noise

he quickly drops his favorite toys

and runs to flatten down his nose

and stand on tippy tippy toes

He’s looking out the window pane

the view outside hard to attain

because he is so very small,

just four years old, and not so tall

And then he sees, to his delight

just two doors down, a wondrous sight

The biggest truck on God’s green Earth

spinning round for all it’s worth

And men in working boots with spades

setting up the barricades

On Harding Road in the summer sun

some manly work is getting done

Now running fast down front porch stair

the boy has grabbed his favorite chair

He can’t believe his lucky day

A concrete truck just steps away!

He places close his little seat,

Sits right down and plants his feet

And happily he spends the hours

watching men with manly powers

pushing buttons, pulling levers

letting flow the concrete rivers

Filling frames and floating flat
the liquid rock from the rolling vat

And as he watched, the little boy

thought "One day I won’t play with toys."

At least not Ninja turtle kind

Imaginations filled his mind

And he was big and all grown up

And driving his own concrete truck

Too soon the sun began to set

Don’t touch the sidewalk, it’s still wet

The work is done, the truck is gone,

and Josh, the boy, is walking home

His tiny chair, he puts away

He calls for Bear to come and play

Soon dinner time and then goodnight

His mother tucks him in just right

In a tiny house, on Harding Street

a special day is now complete