The concrete sizzled sunshot
sand littered its path blown from the beach
in waved ripples leading to the lake-
peeling off layers of hoodie and Jordan’s,
tiny granules
locked into
the cracked heel
of her sockless foot.
The memo shut off water-
city school kids drown
in pools or beaches, in puddles collected
on the streets of embattled gutters
or an open fire hydrant.
Carefree,
she followed conspirators to a fountain
built in the renovation of the old beach house
on the south side usually left out.
Let me do this away from the corner on the block -
bullets popping me to get someone else -
I need to cool off from this heat - real talk.
Sliding sideways through the circled rifles of water,
she giggled joyously in folly
fearlessly. her foot on a fountain,
to the delightful screams of others-
she moved,
it shot her.