Venalkalam: Bugs and Bullies
2025-01-01
Me. You. Riding.
The neighborhood kids too
on hot summer asphalt
Remember us licking
our red sugar lips
from the ice truck pops?
Spotted that blue caterpillar
green guts oozing on the sidewalk
you went and touched it!
And those spaghetti strap girls
blowing pink gum bubbles
calling me brown and ugly
I did not make a face
did not speak a word but you still looked over
and told me not to cry
Told me what your bro told you
Laugh along
Don't show the hurt
That night we
caught twelve lightning bugs
carried them in a jar with leaves and grass
Riding, me and you
good cool sweat
Sweet n' salty snack that was
originally published in Indelible Literary and Arts Journal, 2025