Sidewalk Bodies

The kids sprawled out in chalk-white lines,

not tracing crimes but making shapes

like they owned the cracked city sidewalks,

claiming space beneath a brittle sky.

Colors smudge at the edges,

small hands pressing broken sticks

into the dust and dirt, leaving

faint marks where futures might be drawn.

The outlines blur beneath tired feet,

a reminder of lives worn thin

by streets that never soften,

and children who take the city back,

one dusty, sprawling body at a time.