There was a family that lived down the road from us <br />Seven kids and two scruffy mongrels <br />We looked down our noses at them and talked about them a lot <br />Their front yard was littered with rubbish and scrap cars <br />No curtains, how common! <br />Fights would spill out regularly onto the street <br />and every Sunday they'd all disappear into a battered old car <br />and disappear for hours on end <br />We'd relish the quiet <br />Always over too quickly <br /> <br />Then one day, back in the October I think <br />We woke up and they'd gone <br />Just like that <br />The house was left a shambles, graffiti on every wall <br />The street watched as one while the council came and cleaned <br />New people moved in, Mr and Mrs Average,2.4 children <br />No more noise, or shouting, no pavement battles <br />Twisted hulks of metal removed and flowers in their place <br />Quite normal looking <br />Life went on <br /> <br />A month later, the local priest came round <br />Called a community meeting, all invited, tea and cakes provided <br />Nodding to neighbours, gossiping with friends <br />We gathered at the Hall <br />The priest needed help, more volunteers, more aid <br />He was short by nine pairs of hands... <br />The family we had all been so quick to condemn <br />had not been idle, giving their very all <br />Literally <br />Whilst we judged.<br /><br />Jazzy Davies<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/acacia-avenue/
