when i was a child and went out during the rain,
my father would tell me
"you ain't sugar, child.
who said you gon' melt?"
so i stopped dipping my toes in pool water
and started jumping off bridges.
sometimes i would swim in fountains,
looking for kindness, but
i guess people eventually realized
their cash wasn't worth their buck.
that no god in the sky was gonna give
you somethin' good for five cents.
so lemme tell you, sugar. you wanna know
the look the bank gave me when
i asked for my paycheck in dimes?
that "you gotta be kidding me" look,
that "wait.. you're serious?" look.
disbelief like no other.
that same look i give you
when you step foot in the rain,
and i say "hey, careful now.
sugar likes to melt in this weather."