catapult magazine

Beautiful Words

by Nicole Carlin

Some words I do not like
The sound is ragged
Their audible texture grates my nerves
Rippey Street
I did not like it
It sounded like violence done
or impending
But now (while it still rattles in some sense uncouth)
it is home
more than home
A beautiful community of believers
new friends
old friends
shared meals
borrowed lawn mowers
these are the people who watched
my elder children while the little ones
came into this world and then brought me
ice cream
hard conversations
honest tears and weeping of loss
cheering birthdays with cupcakes
beyond the circle of love
violence is sometimes done on
Rippey Street
but we pray against it and stay
in spite of it
Rippey is family
love is hard
community is hard and…

Beautiful.