The Johnny Pump Days

This was our childhood
The sun pounding the scorched earth,
thirsty under our feet
as we fed it with our laughter
and the rain of the familiar hydrant that we called
our own.

This was our childhood
as our about-to-be-charred skin
beckoned us inside.
Stubborn, we basked in the glory of the
fleeting summer sun.

There we stood catching laughter as
resplendent drops of the
crystal-colored elixir
that we claimed as our own
bathed us with the secrets of that day.

Around and around we went
on that beloved street of our city,
ignorant of the delicious irony of a
red fire hydrant,
like water hidden in flame.

The milky magnolias and the
wisteria, kissed Tyrian hues,
graced us with their presence
on those days
as we ruled like kings and queens.
This was our childhood.

---

Obianujunwa Anakwenze, age 17
2009 Finalist
Florence, Alabama
Florence High School
Teacher: Darlene Freeman