Church of the Cul de Sac

[Carrie Birdsong]

Our children ride bikes in circles
while we, the parents, flock
along the sidewalk like birds on a wire.
(I always heard that birds have church too,
congregated like strings of black pearls.)
We are the Church of St. Coca—
cappuccino, latte, mocha. In yoga pants,
rain boots, and Seahawks sweatshirts—
a heathen's Sunday best – we are the Church of
“How do your kids like Mrs. So and So's class?”
Weather cycles, property lines,
water pressure, recycling schedules: our education
comes from Gary, a friendly tarantula
of a man—slow and hairy—
with fuzzy-bear caterpillar eyebrows.
He explains passages of the HOA manual
and intercedes on our behalf
with our president, to whom we pay our dues.
We think of unwell neighbors.
We are the Church of the Cul de Sac, and we chant
“May the American dream be with you—
and also with you.”

Well done. It draws me in, keeps me entertained with the pace and beat. It also explains a process not familiar to me, which I love because I like to learn while being entertained. It is a little hard to read because it is all one paragraph. I'd play with paragraphs and see if you can cut it off at the proper pauses to make it an easy read. I respect the work though, and I look forward to reading more of your work.