Noon Hour

By Peggy Trojan

Unless hot lunch at school

was serving something special

like corn chowder

and baking powder biscuits

or creamed chipped beef

potatoes and brownies

I went home

to what my

mother made

like most town kids

Jack walked the furthest

almost to the river

to his unpainted house

by the railroad tracks

We all knew nobody was there

his mom at the tavern already

He always came back

Just in time for the bell.

Copyright Credit: Poem copyright ©2019 by Peggy Trojan, “Noon Hour,” from Local News: Poetry About Small Towns, (MWPH Books, 2019). Poem reprinted by permission of Peggy Trojan and the publisher.