I said I had a sore throat, to get out of school on
That honeydew May Day morning
I pouted my throat and rouged my cheeks with woman colors
Mom whisked out the door, said get well soon, goodbye

I knew the streets were empty and
Warmed by the glance of crystalline light
Elastic, pulsing giggles like orange juice filled my throat
Left a bitter taste in my mouth when I squirmed out the door
My God, was bitter sweet.

So I sauntered through secret yards, sat under private trees
Ate mulberries near the sidewalk and used them to paint my face blue
Blue like cold fear, the shivering quivering cars zoomed by
All dancing for me, but not one of them was blue.

Someone smiled at me, and I twirled for them
My skirt like warm milk poured away from my waist
Made a circle with the air, blended with the wind, I was soaring on ground
I wish that all of life were such a playful gun,
Made of humor, made of dandelions, of heat waves, of triggers.

I wish for freedom, I leapt for freedom, scraping its back and taking what I could.
Freedom, that evasive chill that runs down your neck hairs when
You drink from the fountain engraved with an illegible name
Then zaps you in between your eyes, because it’s a shiny May Day in the park
And you are resting in the palms of your own two feet
And your feet are limp,
And your mind is succulent.
And by chosen chance, all is beautiful.