Tardy.

the word a big-eyed schoolboy
his books strapped together
his shoelaces undone

two tardies make an absence

I watch the children playing
in the dirt, channeling rivers
with popsicle sticks

the clouds are a land of laundry

the children run their fingers
deep in the mud, careless
of muck or hidden sharpnesses

more rain still to come

my watch is broken, and
if you're twice late
you're not there