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| photo courtesy of Poetry Jam |
Fizzy cold Cherry Splash soda
if we are really lucky or
Sugary sweet red Kool Aid
bright enough to stain our lips
if it's for us
Watered down to a paler vintage
to sell for 3 cents a Dixie Cup
from the Radio Flyer wagon
to sell for 3 cents a Dixie Cup
from the Radio Flyer wagon
Come evening the booty is exchanged
for cherry popsicles
from the Good Humor man
for cherry popsicles
from the Good Humor man
We never have the patience to save up
for the Strawberry Shortcake bars
we really covet
we really covet
Skinned knees and scraped elbows
from falling off our bikes
or from playing maul ball
with the older kids
with the older kids
On occasion, a loose tooth knocked clean out
leaving a bloody hole and bragging rights
The stench of rotting crab apples
squishing under bare feet
running across the lawn
through the sprinklers
watering the fire red azaleas
and the bricks on the house fronts
Someone's mom pokes out her head and calls
we scatter
Like gnats being shooed away
