everybody loves a parade

they brought their lawn chairs

to the parade, staked out

a prime corner to watch

the baton twirlers, marching bands

posses on horseback, clowns

and vintage cars, floats and

firetrucks draped in bunting.

tyler was getting bored.

it had to be way more

than a million degrees

out in the unshaded sun 

and who cares about

a bunch of porky old guys

riding horses. and the horses

just poop right in the street.

he fiddled with the bottle caps

and pebbles in the gutter,

begged his mom to buy him

a snow cone from that lady

towing a red wagon

with a cooler on it

coming up the street.

and he didn't want a balloon.

those are for babies.

mom's boyfriend, jake

was teasing him, said his gi joe

action figure was a doll.

dolls are for girls and sissies.

jake looked really stupid,

showing off in his muscle shirt

and floppy wide-brimmed leather hat.

and the way that mom was hanging

on to him, always petting his arm

was so embarrassing. god.

he didn't like the way jake

kept slipping his hand

up under mom's cut-offs either,

or touching her bare back

with his cold beer can

making her jump and squeal,

sock him in the arm and then

she'd giggle and rub her body

up against him. and then jake

would look at him and wink.

didn't she know how gross it was?

and out in front of everybody.

it was so embarrassing.

why couldn't they just hurry up

and go to the carnival

so he could at least

go on the rides. and eat

hot dogs and he wouldn't have

to watch mom and jake

do all their disgusting stuff.