counting the ants

it was a hot summer day
and there was nothing we kids could do
but sit under the shadow of the largest maple tree.

there was five of us
and we had our backs up against the trunk of the tree

what are we going to do

it's too hot to do anything

so we sat for a few moments in silence

then we decided to count the blades of grass
got to a hundred
and gave that up.

look at the ants, patrick said
let's see what they're doing

so we cuddled in a pack
and watched as the ants came in and out of a hole

they were busy these ants
and some of them carried stuff on their back
took it to the hole
and buried it.

this went on for twenty minutes

and then we decided it was enough.

it's really too hot to do anything
but sit here and do nothing.

in the nothing
we talked about billie moore and david moore
cousins
both 18
they had both been overseas
they were coming home
one had a ticket
one didn't.

billie and david switched tickets
david's mother got the telegram
her son had been killed in a plane crash.

then two days later came to find out
it was Billie who was dead
not David.

the screams that came from Billie's house
when his mom found out
we all agreed it was a terrible thing.

We remembered Billie's mom
and laughed
she and her husband used to have whopper of fights
you could hear them out in the street.

one time we were in the alleyway
and dishes went flying in the air from the
middle of the house to the front of the house
it was like throwing a frisbee
only it was a white dish

anyway that was life in the neighborhood.

yeah, we remembered Billie, his mom and
their family.

then we kind of broke up the circle as the sun
started to go down and one by one each said, see ya
as our moms called us for dinner.