Gutters

What I would call the street today,

As kids, we’d say the gutter.

It was a place to play for some

And moms would often mutter,

“If you’re not home on time, then I

Will see you, in my mind,

Lying dead out in the gutter

And your body they will find.”

The gutter also was the place

You took your dog to go,

For pooping on the sidewalk

Definitely was a no!

I never knew about the gutters

Meant to channel rain.

I have those on my roof right now

And cleaning them’s a pain.

But yesterday, I did just that 

And as I scooped out goop,

I heard my mother’s voice call out,

Like she was on the stoop:

“Be careful near the gutter!”

Yet this time, my fear instead,

Was that I’d fall down while cleaning them

And crack my foolish head.