4:00 JUNE 23
Hot pavement and
steam rising--
A skinned knee—drip
drop
drip
of red on the
Pavement. Tears
and must and
scuffed boot-bottoms
That damp,
heavy smell
cutting nostrils--
Nature’s knife
and the weight
of a storm.
Mommy, mommy
and a dry,
hollow cry
cry for something else
anything else—it’s just
A little scrape.
pick it up
brush it off
let’s go inside.
A whimper
and a lifted hand
stand
up on
your
own.
No time for tears.
steam rising--
A skinned knee—drip
drop
drip
of red on the
Pavement. Tears
and must and
scuffed boot-bottoms
That damp,
heavy smell
cutting nostrils--
Nature’s knife
and the weight
of a storm.
Mommy, mommy
and a dry,
hollow cry
cry for something else
anything else—it’s just
A little scrape.
pick it up
brush it off
let’s go inside.
A whimper
and a lifted hand
stand
up on
your
own.
No time for tears.