𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒
𝑎𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑢𝑝 , 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟
𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑡..

water down stone
stone
pebble pebble pebble
stone
splash! shatters the sun
quiet

twinkles then it around
in ringlets ringlets

and feet jump in
scare the fruity fish
you know, winds they move
like violins
and rain blooms
grey on concrete
moon on palm
run run run the children
peach-cheeked
and nest hair
through streets
where hawkers make apple pyramids
and orange pyramids
and some spray glitter on flowers

through turns
turns–– one falls! gets up
through streets and streets!
laugh and talk
then halt
exhausted
lips moving–– chests like sea-filled
and then
then
the water topples topples
down the stones
and stars and suns
peep by
and children grow out of their clothes
but through streets they run
run run
laugh laugh laugh
laugh
and rain becomes the puddle
loud and starry
and a frog startles