Summer’s Orders
swimming hole or should I say
concrete hexahedron of chlorine
water & washed-off sunblock
was never carefree
someone didn’t have a lunch
& deep-end pennies weren’t enough
for candy bars from QFC
girls layered shredding suits
swam a few laps & announced
you could lose more weight that way
fatter girls stayed wrapped in towels
until they plunged in hiding blue
& when diving board contests of daring
went too far, lifeguards stopped telling
us to walk & strapped the wounded to backboards
for transport we didn’t know
their parents couldn’t afford
Evocative of the economies of summer on so many levels. Good to see your work again!!!!