skinny arms, muscular backs
tattoos and cigs
uncensored white trash
eating ice cream too fast
sticky fingers
loud rap
we watched too many depictions
of what could be;
in the form of white washed tv
used to lick my plate clean
no permission
to be picky
you are good-
if you are poverty
never wasting any one thing
but money on booze
nails salons and
cheap chinese food
survival of the fittest
the youngest
equipped with
bullying as the greatest sidekick
unconditioned summer rooms
late night ramen
and microwaved food
sometimes the taste
of burnt tongue
and nostalgia
like teenage acne
doesnt just wash away
with soap and water
slammed heads
against doors
had sex that none of us
we’re ready for
getting stoned
in Pizza Hut parking lots,
in closets, in too fast of cars
in the back of grocery stores
trampling over one another
as if it was just the way
to walk
loved just as fiercely
as we fought
neighborhood boys
video games
kisses behind the fence
we were ruthless
relentless and testing
afraid of nothing
and everything
