On my way back from the A&W,
laden with burgers and sodas,
a sign on the gym pops out at me:

Hand-written and stuck with tape,
the only thing it says is
“FIT KIDS LINE UP HERE.”

I realize at once that this
is referring to an after-school
program, where children

are given balls and skipping
ropes to trick them into thinking
exercising will always be fun.

And with the reflexivity
of someone who knows
exactly when to jump,

or who can spot the opening
where a basket could be sunk,
my peripheral vision sweeps

the sidewalk to assess
how many people would be
close enough to notice

if I stopped and put down
my food even faster
than it was cooked and

dug out a pen from
my pocket to change
the “I” in “fit” to an “A”

and then leave until
I could sneak back
the next day to see

how many children
would be standing
under a sign saying

“FAT KIDS LINE UP HERE,”
but fortunately only
the shaking of my shoulders

gives a vague indication
as I finish walking home of
the kind of shape I’m in.

Shane Schick has had poetry published in Shrapnel Magazine, Neologism Poetry Journal, Grand Little Things and Fully Lit, among others. He is the founder of 360Magazine.com and provides content marketing services. He lives in Toronto with his wife and three children. More: ShaneSchick.com/poetry. Twitter: @shaneschick.