Lemonade
A summer day hot as lemonade stand
and there she was a mere child learning
capitalism from first principles a folding chair
and a rickety desk a stack of paper cups
or possibly plastic who remembers such
details at this distance and the honeyed jug
ice cold in the quivering breath of heatwave
continual now for days without respite
and there we appeared to spend our quarters
assisting in the catechism of commerce
of location location location as she pounced
on the closure of the general store
on this holiday that suffered through
the dazzling whiteness we also suffered
sweaty and parched we dismounted from
our bicycles first in dismay and then relief
now some years later we observe
in our rear mirrors
not weather but a prophecy
speeding to fulfillment.
About the Author: Paul Ilechko is the author of the chapbooks “Bartok in Winter” (Flutter Press, 2018) and “Graph of Life” (Finishing Line Press, 2018). His work has appeared in a variety of journals, including Manhattanville Review, West Trade Review, Cathexis Northwest Press, Otoliths and Pithead Chapel. He lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ.
Image Credit: Digital Art made from “Iced lemonade: cool & refreshing” by Currier & Ives (1879) The Library of Congress
As It Ought To Be 