A Neighbor in West Hollywood By John Drudge

“This ain’t no Lindbergh baby” 

She would say

Holding her belly

With a cock-eyed smile

Like they do in the south

When the sun goes down

“You won’t catch me

In no forest tonight sugar

I don’t need no more sin” 

He always smiled

Back at her

Although he didn’t know 

What she was talking about 

Most of the time

But she was funny

In a tragic way

And she was always 

Nice to him

For a hooker

From the strip

In the lobby

Of a motel

Off sunset

Behind the Copper Penny

John is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology. He is the author of four books of poetry: “March” (2019), “The Seasons of Us” (2019), New Days (2020), and Fragments (2021). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.