The Backporch Review 2022

There it sat, on one vendor’s cart,
Red, maybe like my coat,
But a bright, blood-like red,
Unlike the surrounding garnet designs,
A fire truck.
A plastic, red, fire truck.
Growing up, I was obsessed with them
And here one sat before me.
Could this trip have been worth it?
I grabbed it from the vendor’s cart,
Inspecting it in awe,
A sparkle filled my eyes,
The beat of my heart increased,
I turned to show my mom.
Then the blow came.
I was knocked to the ground,
My mom spun around.
The vendor screamed
a language I couldn’t understand.
I think she thought I was stealing
The fire truck.
It didn’t matter,
Not like I was paying attention.
All I could focus on
Was the color of the fire truck
Running from my cheek.
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