Sammi Bilitz

The pink vinyl of my princess

Lawn chair stuck to the back

Of my legs as I sat, patiently.

They were sure to come; I watched

The red and white head floating

On the water’s surface.

The sun beat down, the heat

Magnified by the truck’s black

Flat-bed, the platform for three

Kings overlooking their empire

From pink, blue and white thrones.

The spray and click of a coke can

Drew my eyes away from the ebb

And flow. Grandpa had already

Caught some using the pole

And net he hid among the reeds

And moss. He poured the dark

Liquid into three dixie cups

And cautioned us not to make

Too much noise as we listened

To the coke’s effervescent hisses.