We run on pavement, bare feet slapping the blacktop
Our pace rhythmic, until we can no longer keep the beat
And finally we collapse
Into the makeshift swimming pool
Warm rain water in our hair and on our skin.

We run in wet sand, our toes swallowed by mud like quicksand
Our faces, wide with smiles, betray the fear in our hearts.
Water, though only reaching our ankles
Has the potential to drown.

We run on gravel, rocks biting the soft soles of our feet
Our pace rhythmic, until we can no longer stay on beat
And finally we collapse
Into our cardboard castle
The irrational fears of childhood outran for one more night