back to the old neighborhood

By spring of 1970, the once hearty evergreen garden in front of 1456 Townsend Avenue had become spiny with glistening pieces of shattered broken bottles  and candy wrappers. Glancing down at the sidewalks as I rushed to the safety of my apartment lay half smoked cigarettes, still burning, used prophylactics and dog poop. The neighborhood was dirty and unsafe. I walked down my old street Saturday. It's a pretty block now, with a trash can holding the litter that used to stick to the pavement, just as i remember it when i was a little kid!

(I found this while reading my blog. It was written in 2010.