Bare feet stomping smushing moss bare toes gripping green blades of grass bare toes ripping out weeds dirt is stuck under our nails and stained onto our shirts and smeared onto our faces we’re hanging on the branches of the old maple tree clawing at her trunk to climb her limbs there’s bits of bark stuck in the grooves of our fingerprints we’re climbing higher and higher who can climb the highest please don’t fall we get tired of splinters so we race through neighbors’ yards and pet the neighbors’ dogs and squeal when the grumpy old man yells at us to get off his lawn we race to the cove our bare feet buried in the sand sinking deeper and deeper until the grains feel cold and damp we chase minnows in the shallow tide and leap across the clumps of muscles in the marsh as they snap and click in a symphony of disfavor we apologize and the breeze ruffles the tall tan grass we hear it whisper in a tongue that only we understand