It doesn't cost a thing

(A gorgeous child tries to sell me
gum at a traffic light)
Red!
I have 15 seconds to watch you:
15
your brown eyes
cry stories
14
your brown eyes
fake stories
13
you.are.ignored.
you.give.up.
12
your butt cheeks kiss the tumbac
pavement
kiss it good, hard with
frustration
11
you look down to the dry maps
of your sole
scrape them off the atlas that
carries you
10
scrape
9
scrape
8
scrape
7
brown flakes surround your feet
dry flakes surround your feet
6
you lock eyes with me
you dart towards me
5
swooshing, swishing
brown, dry flakes in the air
4
you’ve done this so many times
your feet don’t hurt
3
knock, knock
gum? only one pound!
2
I smile
because you don’t know I think
chewing gum is stupid
1
I smile
because your brown eyes force
me to.
Green!
I have 8 seconds before you
disappear:
1
I squirm
because the beep, beep, beep is
deafening me
2
I cry
because I want to hug your cries
even if they’re lies
3
I scan my side mirror,
rear view mirror
4
I can’t find you
5
damn you, blind spot
let me see the child
6
there! there you are
I find you
7
I smile
you smile
8
it doesn’t cost a thing.