youth; fleeting
the blast of exhaust
fumes heady, luscious in their toxicity
as we traversed rutted gravel roads
tossed our heads, our drinks back, in wonder
there was no then, only now, and now held such intensity
skin tingling in the sun, lit like copper,
our breath sweet with spirits, and youth
sleep, heavy and hard, under familiar stars that
we knew shone on us, for us, warmth in the cold
of a world we couldn't yet see
were those simpler times? we thought nothing of it,
no more than sand between our toes, the rush of a receding tide
salt-rimmed glasses and tousled hair
thrilling mysteries in the familiar, silhouettes nearly recognizable
exquisite pain in their beauty
steady hum of the engine, melodies in the balmy air
vinyl backseat, tangled arms, legs entwined,
comfort in loose boundaries
cheeks flushed like sleepy children
our eyes incandescent, our teeth white in the setting sun.