I used to sleep 

in the sun like a lizard 

I swear it wasn't so bright back then

( the air wasn’t so thin )

I’d stay out until my freckles merged together 

made new continents on my awkward limbs

Used to pull stickers 1/4 in deep 

from the bottoms of my callous feet

( my skin wasn’t so thin )

Thick as the layers of dead insects

our parents used to wipe off the windshield

so they could still see the road 

and every night was alive with fireflies

One summer we held a roman candle war

for my best friend’s birthday

beach chairs became barricades

there was no win or lose

Until her dad fired into the pool 

which was supposed to be off limits

but adults don't have to follow the rules 

My grandfather would pile salt 

on a little white plate of tomatoes 

until the crystals stopped dissolving 

even though his oncologist said not to

But what can a doctor do?

Cheaper than a lifetime of apples

just don’t drive to your appointment