Cracks in the Pavement

The roads were grey back then

Cracked- where the tar filled in

And we used to play little games

Of “don’t touch the lava”

Because the asphalt

Burned our feet

And the sun

Melted the tar.

And I remember thinking

we never wore any shoes-

Because the tar was always melted

To just the right texture.

And now I know

We started wearing shoes

The day they paved the roads

Because there were no safe places anymore.

But today, if I were a kid

I would walk the street with bare feet

Because they have all cracked again

And tar still melts in summer.

But I’m not a kid,

And there are still no safe places, anymore.