Kool-Aid Stand

Hot summer at the curb

The webbing of the mini lawn chair

Making my sweaty legs itch

A big tub of grape Kool-Aid

Ready to sell

Dixie cups

A giant ladle

And a fly swatter

To keep away those pesky, non-paying customers

We wave to a car that barely slows down

To read our sign

Confidently penned and decorated with

Magic marker

From our set of twenty-four vibrant colors

Puffy letters

Each decorated differently

To catch the eye

It really has the opposite effect

Since they are so difficult to read

The sedan drives by

Home

To ice-cold lemonade

And a window air conditioner

We dismiss it

And squint up the street

Waiting hopefully for the next one

Or someone on a bicycle

Or a thirsty jogger

Who may happen to have ten cents handy

But very few

Seem to have time

Or money or desire

For our Kool-Aid

So we drink the warm, sugary solution

And count and recount our coins 

As the afternoon drags on

We talk about our latest crush

Wearing makeup one day

Going swimming

Training bras and Barbie dolls

And all the in-between-age stuff of girls

All the while

Grinning wide

With purple lips