Ice Time

A collapsed fire pit made out of broken
cinder blocks is surrounded by empty containers
nobody cared to gather. The wind spreads
all the refuse through the streets.
Patio seating where flies go swimming in stout
beers and are dissolved by all the alcohol
so the drinker just tastes the carnage
as part of the flavor. An ice rink that smells
like oil and wet concrete has every level
of skater on the ice. One pushes a bucket
to keep her balance under the protection
of a pink bike helmet and a teacher who
skates with her backwards to always
have an eye out. Another is learning
the basic moves of the girls she dreams about
one day mopping the floor with. She falls
a lot but never needs help getting up.
The final is one that can do it all and is practicing
hard for her day to be the center of everything.
She’s immune to the cold, but before she can
run her routine they tell her to get out of the way.
The game starts in an hour and the ice needs
cut for what people actually care about.