Near our house when I was a child,
the roots of a massive tree had lifted
the slab of a sidewalk several inches.
The kids in the neighborhood,
would ride our bikes fast over the slab
and catch air as fearless daredevils
on our way to the local park and ball field.
The other day in the city,
I tripped on a similarly lifted slab.
I almost went down like a sack of bricks,
which would have shattered the overpriced smartphone.
I cursed the city for not repairing an obvious
safety hazard.
It wasn't until I got home
that I realized I had sold out
the small joys and the imagination
of the world's imperfections
for false splendors
of modern life.