Squirrels on wires dangle
and when they’re done
they don’t. Some kids
are cracking rocks
over a backyard
fence with broom handles,
not for lack
of proper equipment,
but for a challenge.
One of their older
sisters has her boyfriend
in the basement,
and they are whispering
about parts of themselves
always hidden behind
clothes and softer words.
The man who lives alone
in the rough house,
before the woods
and water tower,
drinks nothing but
the hard stuff
and waves his middle
finger in the air.
Industrial Suburb
