SQUARES ALONG ELM STREET

“Squares” Along Elm. St.”

Living on the corner of E. Elm St. gives you the illusion of having a corner of the world all to yourself. Not only was your property “L” shaped but it was also curbed. The curbing is not only to shape the sidewalk around the yard it’s the place that framed great art and games of importance. Each sidewalk square has it’s owner and it’s lesser owner the Leasee. The smoothest square in the sidewalk belonged to the oldest girl because she was normally the biggest and could defend her block of cement. The next best square belonged to the next best defender or next to the oldest and so on down the line. My lot in life was to be #10 daughter, the youngest. I always had chips and cracks in my sidewalk square unless I could convince an older to lease me her square when she was finished with her artwork. There was a lot of name calling and threats made to anyone who dared to step on another artist’s square, which made it even more fun. Exile to the front porch steps was the ultimate punishment for not getting along with your neighboring square. By the time I was old enough to defend my square they had grown away from the games and artistic attempts on the squares along Elm St. In it’s heyday the sidewalk squares were entirely covered with stone drawings, games of tic tac toe, blue jay, all the important games of the day. We never had chalk, never needed it I guess. We used stones to draw and our socks to wipe the slate clean and begin again. Many happy times were spent on the squares along Elm St. Maybe I’ll go there again some day and draw or just write all our names, all ten of them, maybe not. If I do, I’ll use my old friend the chipped and cracked sidewalk square.