A Sweet Tooth for Sadie

Sticky and sweet were our younger years. With a spade in hand, I fearlessly ran through life. No fire ant too tough to take us and no distance far enough to say goodbye. You were a sweet tooth and I had a friend.

I collected attention as you gathered cards off the floor, picking up a mess without a sound. We ran to the kitchen, flying for the last blue Otter Pop. It dripped down my arm and you cried while I reached for a napkin.

We waved at the man whispering to the July shore. He did not smile back.

Perhaps he lacked the same appetite, or maybe just let his eyes close for that imperative moment.

Either way we continued.

A single drop of sweat ran down my leg as we raced our shadows past the water’s edge. I saw a white flag floating atop a crooked crest of sand, and I knew we were alive in that tender, breathless moment.

But time rolled over and our faces thinned.  A summer heart break left you dry.

We found chocolate in a hidden drawer. The soft sound of chewing comforted us as I tucked you in.