The sun is dappled through leaves on the lawn.
Spattered with sunlight the white picket fence.
Warm on the lilacs, warm on the dogwood
Warm on camellia buds. Lazy spotted hound.
Sun on yellow head. Face against the pickets
Worn out canvas shoes snug against the cross bar.
Toy plastic gun, toy plastic dump truck
Tricycle parked with the wheel turned around.
Sun on yellow hair. Face against the pickets.
White house painted new only last year. Wisteria blossoms
Hanging from the porch.
Green canvas lawn swing, striped red and yellow
Butterfly swoops in between the pickets
Loops the loop gone across the roof.
Fuzzy caterpillar hunches in the blue grass
Cut worm cuts the pansies at the ground
Long purple blossoms hanging from the white house.
Face against the pickets sun on yellow hair.
Squatting by the big tree spattered by the sunlight
Chin in palms elbows on the knees, stares across the sidewalk
At eyes between the pickets
Knee pants and barefeet chocolate and amber.
Chin in palms, elbows on the knees •
Stares across the sidewalk at eyes between the pickets
Old plastic wind wheel mended with a straight pin
Torn on the edges lying in the grass
Red plastic whistle buried in a pocket.
Cock headed sparrows chirping in the sun tree
Invisible cicadas shrill the sunlit air.
Slow chugging tractor lazes long the highway
Sleek silvery black birds look around for sprinklers.
Chin in hands, elbows on the knees
Amber and chocolate stares across sidewalk
Sun on yellow hair, face against the pickets
Worn canvas shoes snug against the bar.
Squeaking of the screen door turns the yellow head back
Bright pink pressure lines pressed into the cheeks
Pick up the plastic gun, bring along the dump truck
Hurry from the sun spatter dinner’s getting cold.
Slow through the blue grass shuffle canvas sneakers
Quick across the sidewalk lightly to the porch
Turn to the big tree wave the plastic toy gun
Yell “You dirty nigger.” Run into the house.
Slamming of the screen door. Chocolate and amber melt into the •morning
Blackbirds scream away.