summer toys

i was watching the scrawny boy playing
with action figures courtesy of fast food king
on the side of the doctors' building
while the doctor's kids were at summer camp
in the mountains where the rich send their kids
for summer experience and to get them out of the way
with a salved conscience, and the boy, no more than seven,
playing to the tune of midtown traffic while his mami
waited endlessly for her turn paid by medicaid and food stamps
'cause her marido left for la florida or other parts south
with la puta from the bodega, and what mami makes caring
for those nasty ancianitas with bad toenails doesn't make
ends meet but he was concentrating on the latest free
kid's meal toy and having fun in the summer heat shooting down
the prince the genie el mago la reina with a small plastic
gun and dreaming of hodógs pissa ais crim colas with a side
of papitas fritas con quechú, and wondering how much longer
till school till friends till something else besides wait
for mami outside la oficina del doctor, the podiatrist
for her tired feet, the peluquería for her monthly haircut,
mami always too tired to play, talk, sing duérmete mi niño
at night, papi no longer there to yell about la sopa
being cold, el café not sweet enough, mami laughing
and crying at the same time, so much confusión but the little
toys the cardboard garages for the tiny cars from the
salvation army store the creyones carefully hoarded
from visits to the restorán where 'kids are kings'