for once, he blended in
albeit the crowds looked like
what you'd clear from a gutter
just dressed in sweaty colors and-
thoughts of her surged, swirled
as he passed another
vendor, cotton candy stand
she's just like these pink clouds
pretty, sweet
temptation on a stick
but once you bite right in-
only air
yet he's there
again and again and,
anyway...
a pocket starved and a sugarcoat on,
gawdy lights buzzed
as the sun cowered into a horizon of
jalopies
ferris wheel carts kept
swaying
carousel steads kept
spinning
twirling, popping
a gunshot swallowed in the
cacophony of
joy
crime rang through the carnival
giggles rushed to white noise
he chucked what was left of
that attic insulation treat
from sticky to itchy
he felt the oils on his skin
make him sick
slam the drum in his throat
to his core
smelled the popcorn as he ran
remembered
those duct-taped theater seats
silver screens of picture shows with
heroes
who always knew what to do
in moments like-
time to suit up, time to buckle down and
fly
so, busted sneakers burnt their soles against
gum-ridden asphalt
alas, he found the damsel, a boy
amidst seas of townfolk
between the funhouse and a
port-a-john
gangly teen, ball cap and braces and
bullet grazed his shoulder ****,
it seemed
"just breathe," he told the kid
because we all need air to live
cussing the rescue he couldn't be
smashing buttons until
that tinfoil voice on the line assured them
real help would roll up shortly
he left, knotted his tie around the boy's
bicep, kinda
then hurdled the gate to the whole shebang
because heroes, like her
can't wait
for bad guys to
get away...