Backyard in the City

screeching from playground
I know the neighbor's toddler
is afraid of bugs

thud thud thud thud thud
low clanging roll of the hoop
ball on hot asphalt

thunder of the backboard
would I hear the net's soft slip
if the net weren't gone

smell of lighter fluid
focus three backyards over
Beth about to grill

warm breeze is wafting
dryer sheets' cloying perfume
laundromat upwind

wind lifts my spirits
reminding me to breathe deeply
someone mowed a lawn

brush away tickling
stinging inside an ankle
mosquitoes swarming

tires' incessant swish
buildings echo a long honk
like being in Brooklyn