the slide
twisted and tubed
outside my window
is four too-bright-to-look-at colors
red, yellow, green, bluee

the green is a friend i used to know
searching for constancy and reality of character
looking to be primary
by pushing incessantly those who have found
peace of mind
knowing she will always be
secondary.

my slide of the past
was not true blue or radiant red
but a cowardly semi-neon dirty yellow.
i never noticed.

it has three twists
unlike the the one and a half out my window

the tube
was the dragon i would conquer
every time i escaped whole.

the children
that play outside my window do not know
that you have to climb up the slide
before you zoom down

they can't find
the cracks in the plastic, the finger holds
like i could

and they don't know
what it feels like to sit on top of the beast
and feel big for once in a small lifetime

i would teach them
but the slide would break, as well as my composure
remembering the Dragon
and knowing that it's now
just yellow plastic.