“Paradise” said Mom, Dad, Brochure
Brother swims in the pool and lounges on the beach:
“Pretty cool, but no videogames.”
Clouds shaped like octopi, cupcakes, and
Desk lamps idly swim through the sky
Paradise is banal by day three
So I run, it’s what I do
Feel drops of rain and my own sweat
Mixing, accumulating, and sliding from
The base of my skull to the small of my back
Feel sand bite at my claves, scratch my pedicured feet
Run to the villages surrounding “Paradise”
Hidden by peaceful palms and white beaches
To see what I’ll never worry about
To see what they need
Micro-financing, water purifiers, inoculations,
Education, a warm, dry place to live
But they’re trying to escape the cycle
Fix the economy
That stuff my history teacher talks about
So I run, it’s what I do
Feel the sultry air weighing in my lungs
Kicked up sand coating the inside of my nose
Back to Paradise
With seas once bluer than the sky now bowed
Dark like the shadows the hotel leaves on the sand
Fluffy clouds spoiled, changed into towering
Anvils that spit lights and sounds
¿El Paraíso o el Infierno?
Artist: Cassidy Kavanagh School: North Allegheny |
Notes: For Creative Writing. Picture Prompt. |