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Keri Azevedo
Rancho Rats

Once upon a time,
in a land not too far away
A sleepy little town 
along Highway 29 lay

Post World War II,
developments shiny and new
Six Thousand Dollars for a Ranch Style 3 and 2

A slice of the suburbs,
an American Dream

Flash forward, generations times three
 
Broken
Disenfranchised
Left with only memories 
and stories that start with “there was a time”

“There was a time”
We rode horses in the street
and dirt bikes in the grove
and where did the old schoolhouse steps go?

Everything once special, now destroyed 
Paoli Loop renamed
Lillyville demolished…🎶they put up a parking lot

The neighborhood is changing
History erased
Warehouses and Box Stores and McMansions tarnish the landscape

Priced out of our childhood homes
Third generation vermin 
weary of outsiders

Branded hooligan 
lost in the trauma of being left behind 
in a land gentrified.

Picture
About the Author

​
Keri Azevedo is a Creative Writing Major, minoring in Critical Social Thought, and on track to graduate Spring 2025. She was inspired to write this poem for Steve Dickison's CW 301 - Fundamentals of Creative Writing Class in the Fall 2023 term as a part of a multi-week and assignment journey exploring hometown roots.
  • Home
  • About
  • Archive
    • Sutro 2024 >
      • Personal Narratives >
        • Ajani De Roock
        • Brian Tran
        • Friday Pearl Rena
        • Nathan Yang
        • Tiberius Lai
        • Zane Lowe
      • Essays >
        • Chloe Caneday
        • Gabriela Pires
        • Mae Perrin
        • Melanie Magallanes
      • Poetry >
        • Jenny Castanon
        • Keri Azevedo
        • Niyara Gray
        • Zaina Batniji
    • Sutro 2023
    • Sutro 2022
    • Sutro 2021
    • Sutro 2020
    • Sutro 2018
    • Sutro 2017
    • Sutro 2016
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Submit Here