Weren't We?

For the cousins. In all their various 

forms. . . 

We were gonna make kites

from grocery store bags

Fly fast down snowy mountains

Catch fish bigger than us

Munch on strawberries

We stole from a garden

Eat snow ice cream

And

hold hands while we fell asleep

Weren’t we?

We were gonna swing

Until we were dizzy

And play football at every holiday

And raise chickens, but only eat their eggs

and have babies,

lots of ‘em

And

name ‘em made up names

Weren’t we?

We were gonna

play spoons

‘til our fingers bled

Dance on picnic tables

 in our cut-offs

And smear our faces

with lightening bug dust

To pretend our Indian blood glowed

Weren’t we?

We were gonna

get nerd tattoos

Drink pomegranate

wine we made ourselves and

lick salt of our wrists

before we snuck a sip

of our momma’s beer

And find out rainbows end at the 

base of our spine

Weren’t we?

We were gonna

Ride waves that

crossed time zones and

speak languages

That only we understood

wrap ourselves in ribbon

Dip our bodies in batter

and bake out on the lawn

And keep hoping

our blood wouldn’t be

trapped forever--

Until one said,

 I’ll take that one. 

And another said

 I’ll have that one

And we knew then,

we’d have to let go.

Wouldn’t we?