I remember the South Bronx summers
playing stickball in the hot steamy streets
We played stickball with a broomstick
We chased the ball in backyards
Other kids went out to the pool
to swim and splash all afternoon,
others sprayed the cold water
from the gushing fire hydrant,
others, shirtless, rode their bikes
to the Botanical Garden at Fordham Road.
As darkness fell, we played tag until late at night
tired, hungry, no complaints,
the South Bronx was our summer park —
a place to laugh and run and play.