Poem I Wrote in Class #14

I miss the lemonade stand and snow-cone cart gimmicks
Smashing beer bottles on rotten sewer caps during the break time
And spending the profits on vending machine sweets
Chased by our sticky cheek
And kool-aid stained laughs
We let suspend in the air and erode slowly in the thick, wandering Texas breezes

I miss the late night tomfoolery that was always a little tricky to pull off
Because Paul's mom was a high functioning insomniac
And Jayson's dog barked too much

I miss dented hoods and fireflies mistaken for shooting stars
And shooting stars mistaken for planes
Impulses mistaken for careers
And careers mistaken for purposes

I miss that feeling of unabated wonder
And the freshness of still fluffy-winged life

I miss seeing cars, hospitals waitingrooms, drive-ins,
And concocting stories for each scar and banded finger
Every life was a victory
Everybody had a love story

I think I have found in sifting through all my ponderings
My one true love in this life
Is the spry, tree-climbing, wide-eyed dreamer

Both in myself and in others

The one who sees the light with eyes closed
The expansive green between open ears
The train before the tracks
And feeds it to the heart
That presses loud
And scampers high
Through the viscous quiet