today in the parque unidos del ninos

we load up the fabulous new sit and stand stroller and push and walk down 23rd street to the park. the sky is blue. hello to ulysses our friendly and handsome neighbor mechanic. past the hansel and gretel house, a little house with a front yard full of flowers and plastic toys. we stop and see what is new--miles notices what he is interested in now though most of these toys have been collecting black city dust outside for years. look, a pirate flag , and there it is, a little black flag, faded, with a skull and crossbones. next past the deli with the gooey hands for sale in the gumball machine, not today dear. we ring opal jane's bell and her mother comes out with luther the beautiful black standard poodle, sporting a sleek new buzz with poofy head and feet. opal jane is snoozing, lucky them.

on the sad grass at the park is a play structure built by the black rock arts foundation. yes, burning man people. it is made from recycled materials--old tires, sticks, palm leaves, string. there is a little kitchen counter and tin can telephones but today a lovely lady who looks fresh from the playa with her gingham dress and cowgirl hat serves us fresh free lemonade and fruit from inside. cool people are milling around, i call them cool because they are people i like to to talk to, it's easy, and although we are not exactly friends we have been seeing each other here for four years or so on and off, from when the kids were innocent babies 'til now. miles and eitan immediately run together--chasing pigeons, hammering trees to make them grow better, making poop jokes. in the community garden i meet a nice couple who say they are going to try and stay in this neighborhood, it's their community. i start to go into my everyone has left routine but don't want to bum them out. they are smart and gentle and growing little vegetables. their little boy is watering plants very very carefully.

this park also has--soccer, a super loud block party once a year, a room to rent which mostly latino and chinese familes seem to do, and who offer to share the huge platters of food, and two sad stories. the old park caretaker was pistol-whipped early one morning while opening the park and suffered a badly broken jaw. and a little friend we knew from here died a month ago, a freak thing. this park has mexican ice cream men carts, "pushers" to the little sugar junkies. a wierd but pretty view of two privileged hills rising growing into the blue sky from the flats of the mission. a place to be a spider. a place to be a pirate. little metal bikes for these bikeless city kids to share. today a chihuahus is taking lap rides on the slide

time to go, we roll home.