Stick Children

• 
  stick children skate on ice
  tiny figures with fluffy red hats
  on the edge of a crystal pond
  boys build a fire,
  roast marsh mellows crispy,
  parents stand in groups around a frozen pond
  they shout out to them the way parents do
  Belinda baby, be careful you might fall
  Andrew don’t let your ankles touch the ice
  Don’t trip on Tracy’s scarf , Sally Mae
  out of the side of her mouth,
  Andrew’s mom tells Mrs. Shaw,
  Andrew has weak ankles-ya know,
  but I think he will grow out of it
  little folks pull sleds an inch at a time up
  white covered mounds
  a group of boys practice playing ice hockey
  with their older brother’s sticks and pucks
  in the foreground the skeletons of seven
  swing sets stand bare of swings
  stripped for the winter months
  slides and monkey bars go unused
  snow and ice are now
  the playground toys
  hills and sleds more fun
  cars parked in the lot
  rusted chains on tires
  snow topping the roofs
  steam coming from hoods
  a blue purple sky tops
  a black outline of white
  snow over pale blue
  ice while an orange sun
  shines in the distance
  giving light on a cold winter day