[image: flikr.com]

No Half Numbers

Do they still use half numbers for addresses?
Even long ago and far away they were not common
They were used to denote “upstairs” or “in back.”
The occupants were not entitled to have their own
Actual residence number
They were poor and barely recognizable by the post office
Just a half step ahead of being homeless.
I knew a lot of half numbers
They were usually found by alley way entrances
Where the garbage was kept
And where rats lived without fear
The landlord was typically the shop owner
Who sold his wares down stairs or in front
He never looked at us or spoke to us
We existed only as a source of unreported income
I was born at a half number address
I knew two more of them early on
All scattered along Main Street
Only my birthplace residence remains today
Although there are no occupants in residence there.
It is within view of the most
Prominent addresses in town
But it has no visitors no curiosity seekers
Even I have never returned to see where
I first crawled or took my first step
A famous Civil War general was born
A stone’s throw away in the next block
His is a prominent brick house
Perhaps lavish in its day.
He is still hated in the South where I now live
To my knowledge I am not.
My house today is neither prominent nor stately
But it has pillars and palm trees that proclaim ownership
And a grand entrance way that is among the best in the community
There is a full number in full view for all to see
And that is enough—
No more half numbers for me.