Literary Arts Magazine Spring 2010 | Page 28

At Potomac Avenue By Jemal Mohammed Teacher: Sheryl Sherwin Level 5 Morning Spring 2009 27 Level 5 I work in Arlington, VA near Reagan National Airport. It is Friday, April 24, 2009 at 5:30 pm. I am sitting in my booth thinking about the past. I have a clear view of Potomac Avenue. Every Friday I am bored because people leave early. The building is emptying and my work is getting very slow. Today‟s weather is perfect. Potomac Avenue is closed for vehicles and the area is very quiet. Everywhere there are traffic signs. Police officers are patrolling Potomac Avenue and the surrounding area to make sure it is secured. At 6:00 pm many people appear on the corner of Potomac Avenue. Some of them are running their dogs. They have numbers on their t-shirts and many of them are out of breath. Some are running and clapping their hands at the same time to motivate themselves. It looks like a marathon race. About 1000 people ran from the starting point to the Potomac Avenue. Then they turned around to run back to the starting place. Finally, Potomac Avenue is open for traffic. After 7:30 pm I am continuing to look outside, but there are no people. They have all disappeared. I am bored again and I return to thinking about the past.