Summer Rituals

I sit on my balcony, sweat pools like rain,

children giggle, their joy a sweet refrain.

The sun scatters droplets, prisms in air,

a moment untouched, a memory rare.

A sprinkler spins life on the hot asphalt,

water dancing, their laughter a bright vault,

a fresh burst of childhood, innocent play,

while the world swelters in lazy decay.