Delayed Sound Beneath the Pavement

The street goes quiet before the sound arrives. Names replaced by

numbers. Hands behind backs. This is for your own good. Boots on chalk.

Boots on drawings. Boots on everything, but didn't ask permission. Lines form faster

than thoughts. Gray jackets pulled over colored days. Stay still. Do not explain.

Parents watching from windows. Teachers counting compliance. A system congratulates itself for restoring

the shape of things. One hour of running. One hour of

sky. Now rewind the children. We are escorted. We are corrected.

We are told this is safety. Your rules are loud. Our breathing isn't.