Rico at Fifteen

I like to walk the line
A sight
Sore thighs
In the middle of the road
School bus
Yellow
Out here away from the trees, I feel braver
somehow.

And a cigarette is very important
Like a diamond
In the sky
You must always be smoking
A warning
An invitation
To enemies and friends I have a weapon
of sorts.

I had an uncle who taught me young
Russian Fingers
Roman Hands
The skills I needed to survive
Out here
At Midnight
I’m no longer afraid of the dark
that often.

Wheels drag through puddles with a hiss
My knight
Shiny car
A quick race past the fruit loop finishes at the playground
High beams
Muddy rain
I take off my clothes and stand in his light
alone.

He wants to push me down
Warm hands
Cold ground
Again and again when I stand too tall
He’s happy
I’m hungry
Fifteen bucks my ass, I should have told him twenty
at least.