We went to the fair once,
Alice and I -
we snuck there
when it set up
down the street.
We watched it go up -
the bare bones of rickety roller coasters
stacking up like vertebrae;
racks of pink-cloud cotton candy
hung up in stalls.
We stole some,
Alice and I,
when the guy manning the stall
walked into the alley
to light up.
We only stole one bag,
one bag of soft pink and blue
sugar that melted on the insides
of our cheeks,
but that bag was sweet as hell.
We weren't allowed to go to the fair
once it was done,
but that night we could hear it,
the neon-glitter soundtrack
of screams and pop music
drowning out the sound
of my sister's breathing.