With a sip of watered down coke
I am reminded of charcoal cheeseburgers
And my parents fragrant with smoke,
Mesquite and unknown,
All smiles and red eyes with their friends
Laughing over warming potato salad

Us kids, all spindly legged and oblivious,
Are whaling tennis balls across the street
Rejoicing as they bounce off the roof
Of our old first grade teacher’s house
Her roof is deep soda red, like watery coke,
And makes a hollow thud receiving each offering

We fall asleep in the living room
Scattered about legos and baseball cards
Not quite making it to dark
Lulled by the susurrant noises of our parents,
Happy well past midnight,
Through the screen door