DC PLACES ISSUE Kenneth Carroll   MONTANA TERRACE (progression to natural) In my neighborhood mothers were mountains their jagged hearts climbed by children & husbands seeking elevation men, weak with selfish intentions chipped away at their souls blasting caps of hatred shook their foundations bearing the load of family they carried a race on their backs a steep ascent to destiny In my neighborhood mothers were mountains i have seen them crumble & become women. & love them still.   Kenneth Carroll is a native Washingtonian. He is the author of a book of poems, So What! For the White Dude Who Said This Ain't Poetry (The Bunny and the Crocodile Press, 1997). Carroll is the DC Site Coordinator for WritersCorps, an arts and social service program founded by the NEA and AmeriCorps that was honored in 1999 by the national Coming Up Taller Awards. He is the past president of the African American Writers Guild, served on the board of directors of the Poetry Committee of Greater Washington, and was a founding member of the 8Rock Writers Collective. Published in Volume 7, Number 3, Summer 2006.   To read more by this author: Kenneth Carroll Carroll's Tribute to Gaston Neal: The Memorial Issue Kenneth Carroll: Evolving City Issue Kenneth Carroll: Audio Issue