I looked down on the playground from the second floor. Below, I saw fifth grade Tyler, long bangs, green eyes, chipped tooth and a big mouth which Melody – light skinned girl with thick arms – offered to shut, no charge: “Shut it now so I don’t have to pop a hole in your head.” […]
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Free
A narrow path runs through the garden patch along the playground’s west side. There, at the point where asphalt ends, I encountered Daphne. She came from behind and shouted “Hey!” snapping me upright. I turned to see a small-boned seven year-old, with a delicate face and gentle eyes looking into mine. She lifted a tiny plastic container close to my […]
Gate
Rains come this time of year. They wash summer smoke from the air and heal dry cracks in the hillside around the school. As the cracks heal, hill grass shoots up everywhere. Paved patches stand apart from green. Little squares of asphalt black end in a chain link edge, and the rich black of wet […]
