Puce, late 80s
Mid-summer. A for-free cottage. My mom’s ex-boyfriend’s
generosity exposed in hot sand. A tennis court out front.
red leather chairs that ripped the back of my thighs.
ketchup and mustard. Boiled hot dogs. The blue and red
dots of Wonderbread bags. Mastering the front walkover
on sand-covered crabgrass. A lake we couldn’t swim in.
The boy my sister snuck over.His tongue shiny in and
out of their mouths. Reading the Babysitters’ Summer
Vacation novel alone on the hardwood.
VANESSA SHIELDS 