The Playground

On the playground, some of the children used to play Lava Monster, imagining a fiery doom below them. I saw this sometimes, from the large merry-go-round, where the smaller childred would hold tight, spinning, until finnally each one would fly out onto the sand. Injuries suffered were endured with glee, pride even.

Much later, I broke my back playing these games, some other girls did too. Maybe it's brain chemistry, or maybe it's Mars, or maybe I just can't possibly love something unless I've broken it, and its broken me. The way the burn of the sand under my skin sent the adrenaline coursing.