July, 2016
That summer in Virginia
We waded through the heat,
Belligerent, bellied up virgins
Passing smoke from lip to lip.
If my thin skin bruised
Against the surface of the water,
I paid no mind and climbed the dive
High enough for the world to wash away.
Didn’t matter how hard the ground was
When the fall felt so easy;
The burn of the noon concrete
Stenciling the fat of my naked thighs.
If I’d’ve known what would become of us,
Would I have still been so keen to hunt you
Through fields of cornflower and hay
Across the deep end of the trickling branch?
We sought magic all those hot nights,
Sweat soaked in your cotton sheets,
Whispering woes about lost kings while
Sordidly swearing ‘we ain’t ever gonna forget.’
The joy of ignorant youth softened
Our backhanded disappointment
When we parted ways and met
An oncoming August empty handed.
3 thoughts on "July, 2016"
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Wonderful poem, great story-telling and details that make it alive. “Would I still have been so keen to hunt you … ” is so perfect.
I love the sounds of “Belligerent, bellied up virgins/Passing smoke from lip to lip.”
Agree–great storytelling. I love: ” climbed the dive/High enough for the world to wash away.”