fluorescent was the colour those days
green, pink and yellow all had to be
as if come from a place far away
all had to scald like my aunt's coffee
my dress was the creamy inside
of a papaya playing tag or hide and
seek outside with the others like
savages tearing between the two houses
the adults sat inside on sofas
covered in clear plastic
that crackled and pinched
with every movement for a teaspoon
or a piece of cake
but the yellow dress ran
scraping against brick
releasing birds that flapped
to the branches of the cherry blossom tree
or walked lopsided on the
warm curve of lawn
at twelve I was still
young enough to get pretty dresses
from my mother
still young enough to graze the sleeve
of the neighbour's boy
and feel like I found a quarter in the pocket
of last year's coat
