the courtyard of the church is concrete
the wrought-iron gates are always locked.
no one thinks this odd.
the children like to play ball here
the concrete is easy to clean. the balls bounce better
the old sit in white plastic chairs
they arrive in shuttles
they wait for pasta served with bread
the salad bucket returns several days
before being tossed out.
no one is certain when it has gone bad.
no one is certain what color it should be.
how grey can salad be, before it must go.
how long before we toss out the salad